LAB Rats
by Conejo-sama
Summary: Unbeknownst the students of Facultas Academy, a special group of handpicked Minimum Holders were put through an inhumane program known as Project "Lost and Begotten". Two years later, Nice and his friends begin to uncover a mystery that goes much deeper than the Academy, running into old friends on the way. Nice/OC bromance, Art/OC
1. The Captain

**A/N: For those who have remained loyal and have read my updated profile page, I'd just like to thank all of you!**

 **A/N: For any/all fans of "Hamatora", I'm just testing the waters with this chapter. If enough people like it (or if I have enough time) I'll be updating this story every week. I've already made so much progress with it and I'm hoping it's another humble success!**

 **And finally Claimer: I'm sick of disclaimers. Frankly, I think they're ridiculous. So I'm claiming all of my OCs, the L.A.B. Rats. That's it.**

 **Now enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Captain**

 _I have a new job for Hamatora. I'm looking for a friend. He'll know who it is. –The Captain_

"'The Captain'?" Birthday repeated. "Who the hell's that supposed to be?"

Nice sat quietly as his companions passed around the plain sheet of paper with those cryptic words. Hajime sat beside him eating rice and curry, and as she did so, she watched her partner, having been the only person to notice how abnormally silent he'd become after the job request was read aloud.

"It's really vague, isn't it?" Koneko replied. "That's what I thought too, but the guy who left the note was offering a really nice reward."

"How much?" Murasaki asked. Though he wasn't very interested in doing anything for someone who wouldn't bother to meet them face-to-face and discuss the terms of this "job", the money was still coveted.

"He wrote it on the back."

Ratio, who was now holding the paper with the request, flipped it over and everyone (except Nice, Koneko, and Master) went over to see what price their possibly new client had offered. Everyone's eyes dilated and their mouths gaped like fish seeing all the zeroes at the end of the cash reward.

"Holy shit!" Birthday cried.

"That's the biggest price anyone's ever offered!" Ratio commented.

"Cutlets…" Hajime mumbled dreamily.

"His friend must be important," Murasaki thought aloud. "Did you see what this guy looked like, Koneko?"

She shook her head. "I didn't see his face, but he was wearing a black and white hoodie. He had a cute little girl with him—his little sister, I think. He didn't look like he had that much money."

"I'll take the job." Everyone looked over at the Sonic Minimum Holder, who they now acknowledged hadn't said a word throughout this whole conversation. None of them were very surprised that he would take such an ambiguous job knowing how desperate he usually was for money, but they'd also never seen laidback Nice as staid as he was now.

Taking the paper from Ratio, Nice walked out of the café without another word, leaving the other members of Hamatora speechless and befuddled.

* * *

 _The first time he saw that gray-eyed boy, he took him in like any other student: complete apathy. But he had never seen anyone with gray eyes before, and it was starting to pique his interest._

 _As the boy made his way into the room, he preoccupied himself by looking through his textbook as he waited for the class to start. Coincidentally, the gray-eyed boy chose to sit next to him, an annoying smile spread across his face. "Hey, what's your name?"_

"… _Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself before you ask for my name?"_

 _The boy shrugged. "I asked first."_

 _He smirked. "Well, in that case, I won't tell you mine until you tell me yours first."_

" _Fine by me!"_

 _He did his best to ignore the boy as his attention went back to his book, but he couldn't look away from those gray eyes as they adamantly stared at the blackboard. There was something behind them that was unusual. He didn't look any less interested in the lesson than anyone else, but he also didn't look… right. "So… weird."_

" _I'm weird, huh? Says the boy who won't stop staring at me." Having realized his mistake, he quickly looked away, his cheeks flaring up in embarrassment as the gray-eyed boy laughed. "It's nice to meet you, Nice." Before he could ask how he knew his name, the boy pointed to his textbook. "Your name's written inside the cover. It's an interesting name for someone like you."_

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _The boy just smiled, and that was when Nice realized what exactly didn't feel right…_

 _It was his smile._

* * *

Nice walked along the sidewalk with his head down and his hands in his pockets. On his way, he passed by an appliance store with the usual duplicate screens playing the same station.

The anchorwoman on the screen was talking about some heiress who was kidnapped. Unfortunately, that meant there was another pathetic lowlife out there extorting his way up the pyramid. It was the third kidnapping reported this week, all the kids belonging to affluent families, and he had a feeling these incidences involved Minimum Holders. He didn't understand why people would go out of their way to waste their Minimums like that. In fact, there was a school for people that desperate—people who were carried to the top of the pyramid rather than taking their time up the stairs on their own.

He realized not many people had the privilege to get admitted into the Facultas Academy. Nice honestly didn't see the appeal, but the instant traces of his "Minor Miracle" were discovered, his parents couldn't wait to ship him out. That was the last he saw of them, and it would be several bleak years later until he had contact with the outside world.

No one received letters or gifts or anything outside of the school and the students were not allowed outside the facilities unless they were given special permission. But no one complained. Facultas Academy had plenty of activities to distract the students, and they even received "allowances" that varied in amount depending on how well you did in school to buy special treats and toys in the shops set up around campus to induce them further into subjugation. In the end, those who worked hard enough to get to the top and had the Minimums to boot got the best privileges.

It made him sick.

Someone broke him out of his cynical state of mind when they accidentally bumped his shoulder. His sky blue eyes met her amber gaze, which seemed to briefly dilate with cognizance before she broke contact. With a halfhearted apology, the redheaded girl continued on her way. She was carrying an umbrella.

Looking up, Nice couldn't help noticing the amount of gray clouds gathering in the sky. The same dithering gray that would neither bring rain nor shine. Just more gray.

* * *

 _Three subjects were sent into the training arena. Only one passed today's exercise. It was no surprise when those other two kids were taken away, like every week. This became a tedious routine for him, and he almost felt sorry for the kids that were always behind. Sometimes he wished he wouldn't try so hard just to give them a break, but he knew it wasn't in his character. They'd just have to try harder next time._

 _As he walked out of the arena, wiping off the remaining perspiration on his forehead with a towel, he came face-to-face with the gray-eyed boy. "First again, Nice? That's got to be a record."_

" _I don't really care."_

 _Although they'd come to know each other very well over the past few months, his gray-eyed friend was still left nameless. He was certain their other friends knew his name, but the gray-eyed boy wasn't given any special moniker during a conversation; it seemed out of context seeing as the gray-eyed contributed the most to_ any _conversation. But honestly, Nice he could care less about that boy's name because his eyes seemed to stand out more than any of his other physical qualities, except maybe his smile. That annoying-ass smile._

" _Say," he said to the gray-eyed boy, "what do you think when you call me that?"_

 _His gray eyes blinked owlishly. "Well… it's your name, isn't it? I guess it's kind of strange, but it's yours. And it's so simple, too, not to mention the teachers say it to you all the time," he said matter-of-factly. Seeing the auburn-haired boy's puzzled expression, he clarified, "'Nice job.' 'Nice work.' 'Nice going.' It sorta fits." He put his hands in his pockets, kicking his leg lightly back and forth. "They say it to me whenever I finish the exercises too, if I'm lucky enough. But then when I look at the other kids who didn't do as well as I did… I can't help but feel sorry for them. It seems unfair, doesn't it? I mean, they didn't ask for this…"_

 _Nice stopped toweling his head, not expecting such a candid answer. The gray-eyed boy had always been frank whenever he talked to him about nonsense, but he was more sensible than he realized. Nice had also noticed it a while ago, but not too many kids their age understood most of what was going on, not when the instructors could get away with it by offering candy or other conniving ways to assuage them._

 _Walking towards the gray-eyed boy, he offered him his water bottle. "Come on, Stormy Eyes. Art's waiting for us."_

"' _Stormy Eyes'?"_

" _Yeah. I have to call you something, don't I?"_

 _Confusion slowly turned into understanding as the gray-eyed boy flashed him another smile, taking the water bottle gratefully. "Okay then. But you're going to have to come up with something good. I know you can do better than 'Stormy Eyes', Nice."_

 _For the first time, Nice gave the boy a real smile._

* * *

"It looks like it's going to rain."

Nice didn't look away when he heard his friend Art approaching, and he heard the creak of the railing as the lilac-haired man leaned over the bars next to him. Being the superintendent of the police department, Art had to look over the investigation of the missing kids and the non-innate Minimum Holders, so the private eye hadn't seen him at all this week, which was unusual considering these cases typically involved Hamatora one way or another. Art probably intended to keep it that way, Nice knew, which meant he probably wouldn't see Honey and her lion-faced guardian for a while, either.

"It won't rain." Nice's gaze shifted down towards the sea. The grin on his face was barely traceable.

"You're usually at the café around this time, unless you have a job. I guess business has been slow, huh?"

Nice shrugged as he turned away from the sight, leaning back with his hands in his pockets. "It's just one of those days. And what about you?"

"Gasuke made me take a break." Art's face morphed with concern seeing his friend so aloof. Well, more aloof than usual. Looking into his cerulean eyes, he could tell Nice was in another place. "Are you okay?"

Before he could provide an answer, Nice's phone went off. He took it out of his pocket and read the text he received.

 _There's someone waiting for you. –C_

Art watched closely as the private detective put away his phone and slowly approached him. "Like I said," Nice murmured. "It's just one of those days." He patted his mauve-eyed friend on the shoulder. "I'll see ya later, Art."

Before Nice walked away, the PD superintendent caught a glimpse of his eyes, the sky blue turning into a misty azure.

* * *

 _The boy in the bed finally opened his eyes, revealing his perpetually captivating gray orbs. Nice almost jerked out of his chair at the abrupt movement, seeing as his friend hadn't moved for the past hour, but he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised he had been caught._

 _The two had become roommates a few weeks ago, and yet this stormy-eyed boy was still a mystery to him. It was frustrating, almost to the point where Nice had the urge to shake that boyish grin off his face. But as cagey as his smile was, his eyes were much more inimitable. Those grayish orbs were not only appealing, but they were very sharp, expressive, and meticulous to detail, which made his smile even more of a mystery. Day by day, he watched his friend as his eyes did the talking and his smile remained stagnant. As many were aware, Nice could be a straight-shooter at times, especially when it came to the wellbeing of his friends, but otherwise he kept his mouth shut and pretended like he could care less. But now that they were alone, it was about time he brought up what had been on his mind for so long._

" _You know," he began, "your smile doesn't match your eyes."_

 _The gray eyes flickered ever so slightly he wondered if he saw them move at all. "Don't you mean my eyes don't match my smile?"_

 _Nice smirked. "How does what I said mean any different?"_

" _Just hits the ear wrong, I guess." He turned onto his back before he answered the question, his smile softening, and all of a sudden he looked pitiful. Nice had never seen his friend like this before, and for some reason it made his blood boil. "Before I came here, I had nothing, and when you're just a kid with nothing, it's hard not to look pitiful. Seeing people with those looks, as if anything they said would break me, it was so… aggravating." Nice watched as his friend's gray eyes clouded over, struggling as he got towards the end of his gloomy tale. "I didn't want to break. I didn't want to give up and lose myself like all those people expected me to." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself back down. "Being sent here to the Academy and leaving all that behind was the best thing that's ever happened to me."_

" _Why's that?"_

" _Because now it's seems I can't stop smiling." When he turned back over to his side, Nice was surprised to see for the first time since they met a genuine smile on his friend's face. "Art and nii-chan—if I hadn't met you all, I don't think I would've lasted my first week here. But to be honest…" He sat up and crawled up to Nice until they were inches apart. His stormy gaze never broke away from Nice's cerulean eyes. "I knew as soon as I saw you… it was destiny—"_

 _Nice flicked his temple before turning away from him again. "Don't be a jackass."_

 _He rubbed his forehead begrudgingly and chuckled. "I guess I deserved that." Once he was sober again, the gray-eyed boy sat back against the wall and folded his arms. "I kinda lied to you. I didn't always have nothing. My dad was a captain in the navy, and my brother joined as soon as he graduated high school. I lost them the year before I was sent to Facultas. They went on a fishing trip. There was a storm and they drowned. I was too young to go."_

" _Why are you telling me this? It's depressing."_

 _He shrugged. "Just thought I'd mention it since I'm basically pouring my heart out to you now. Now that I think about it, how come you never talk about your family?"_

" _You don't need to know about my family in order to know who I am. And it's not like you're ever going to meet them."_

" _I guess that's true… But still, it's the thought that counts!" he griped flippantly._

 _Nice rolled his eyes before a pensive look crossed his visage. "… Captain."_

" _What?"_

" _That's your name. From now on, you're The Captain. Cap for short."_

" _The Captain" blinked dubiously, and all of a sudden, he let out a laugh. "Well, it's certainly better than Stormy Eyes! I mean, that name couldn't be more obvious. It's okay if you just say it, Nice: You think I'm sexy."_

" _Shut up." Nice smiled at his friend's goofiness, a soft chortle erupting from him. Today, his friend became a little less of a mystery, and seeing The Captain's usual quaint smile made him happy. He never wanted to see that broken look on his face again._

* * *

It took him longer to get back to the café due to the foreboding weather. When he reentered Café Nowhere, he wasn't perturbed by how completely empty it was, with the exception of Master and Koneko, who were always behind the counter. What surprised him was the dog at the bar. It was small enough to sit on the stool, but it still had to slightly lean on the counter as not to fall. Its pointed ears drooped a little but not so much that it wasn't alert. Its tail, which was a little darker than the fur on the rest of its body, with the exception of its ears, forepaws and muzzle, wagged lazily back and forth. A red kerchief was tied around its neck. Nice blinked dubiously as he watched the dog before walking over to the bar and sitting next to it. Their heads turned slightly as they made eye contact.

After a few awkward seconds, Nice finally broke contact and turned to the two behind the counter, who were acting as if this dog was a regular customer. "Um… doesn't this place have a no pet policy?"

"He's a customer," Master said before placing a plate of hamburger in front of the mutt. Nice then noticed the bills under its paw, wondering how he missed that in the first place, and looked back at the dog enviously. He could barely get a scrap of food unless Hajime felt like sharing, and this mutt was practically eating like a king!

"He's a dog," he muttered indignantly.

"Actually, he's a Minimum Holder," Koneko corrected. "And he knows the boy who sent the job request."

"I don't care about the job," he snapped, and both occupants behind the counter were taken aback by the young man's irascible reply. Anger shortly took over his expression as he turned towards the dog. "If you're really a Minimum Holder, and if you have anything to do with that message, then there's only one thing I want to know: What the hell happened to Cap?!"

* * *

 _The gray-eyed boy was not there to greet him after his training session the next day. So he waited. There was a possibility his session was right after, so he stayed outside the training facility, watching kids come and go. Finally fed up, Nice walked up to the girl in his class with the lopsided pigtails. When he asked if she'd seen him, she claimed he had been missing all day._

" _Where the hell is he?" he grumbled angrily to himself._

 _As he made his way back to their room, he saw a notice on the door. As he read it, panic surged through his very being and he rushed inside the room. Half of the room was empty now. All of his friend's belongings were gone. They must've moved him while he was in class. He'd be getting a new roommate, according to the notice, but for now, he was alone._

 _His fists shook at his side, and his eyes became misty. He didn't understand why he was getting so upset. It wasn't like he wasn't ever going to see his gray-eyed friend again. But living together, seeing his ashen gaze and easygoing smile, it gave him a peace of mind knowing he would be coming back to that pleasant sight every night. So how did they expect him to live in this room without him?_

 _After a while, he went towards the empty desk. The gray-eyed boy didn't have much to begin with, but with the contents of the desk gone, its vacancy only made him feel even lonelier. In a bout of fury, his fist clenched firmly, slamming onto the desk. "Damn bastards…!"_

 _He heard something fall as soon as he performed this action. He looked down and saw a folded piece of paper by his foot. Reaching down, he stared at the white parchment, reading each of the four English characters that made up his name as if each letter held its own meaning. As soon as he read the remaining content, he crumbled it up. It was a warning:_

 **Don't let them break you.**

 _He never saw the gray-eyed boy the next day, or the day after that, or the week after that. After a month, he knew school had something to do with Cap's disappearance; it was confirmed when the instructors blatantly ignored him whenever he asked about Cap._

 _The next day, Nice left Facultas Academy and never looked back. He was never meant to be a hero—he knew he would never be able to find Cap even if he tried—but he couldn't stay at this school knowing they took one of his dearest friends away from him. He at least owed him that._

" _We're not even yet, Cap… I know you'll find a way… I just know it…"  
_

* * *

"Why didn't you go and meet him?"

He didn't bother to acknowledge the brunette next to him. His eyes were focused solely on the screen in front of him. It seemed the news never got any better as the days went on, which made him wonder why he kept watching it in the first place.

"I'm just saying," the brunette continued, seemingly obliviously to the fact his friend was blatantly ignoring him, "you've been looking for him for the past two years, and it turns out he's been here in Yokohama this whole time. And then all of sudden, instead of meeting the guy on your own like you promised, you sent out Yan, even though the guy only took this 'job' so he could see _you_. I mean, that's kind of a dick move, man."

He toyed with the tassels of his scarf as if he didn't have a care in the world. The brunette grunted in irritation at the dull reaction.

"I can solve the most complicated algorithms, infiltrate the most secure bank accounts without leaving my scent—hell, I'm the one who found the guy's damn phone number through cellular interference!—but after all these years, I still can't figure _you_ out." He turned away from his computer, analyzing the boy as methodically as he would a math problem. "You know what I think? It's the scarf. And the hat. Well, maybe not the hat. The ensemble itself is rather—"

"I can't risk seeing him, Beta. You know that." Though the garter stitch covered his face up to his to bridge of his nose, his voice came out as clear as crystal. With the knitted hat on his head, the only thing that was remotely visible was his eyes, the most expressive features on his face. But for as long as they'd known each other, Beta still couldn't read him at all.

"At least consider it. I know you want to see him as much as he wants to see you."

He got up from the couch and began walking over to his room. "Call Yan-Yan, Beta. He and Yuzuki should be back with the groceries by now."

Sighing in defeat, the brunette turned back to his computer screen. "Aye, Captain."

* * *

 **Like I said before, this chapter is more of a... test chapter, so if I don't get enough feedback, don't expect me to update so soon.**

 **So please, _R &R!_**


	2. The Sibyl

**A/N: So far, no reviews. I know it has something to do with this show-it's not very popular-but I also think that maybe I wasn't being fair. My first few chapters are introductions to my LAB rats, so not a lot of plot is going to happen for a while.**

 **Now enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Sibyl**

" _ **I'm not a puppet…"**_

 _It was a thought that popped up in her head to help her remember who she was. After repeating the phrase to herself for so long, it became an inbred mantra._

" _ **I'm not a puppet… I'm not a puppet…**_

" _I'm not—"_

" _Stop mumbling to yourself," scolded her strict mother. "You should be getting ready for the recital." Though she acted more like a manager than a mother. And of course her father was nowhere to be seen. With his busy work schedule, he had more important things to do than go to his only daughter's dance recital._

 _Sometimes she wondered why her parents had her at all. It seemed she was only good for making_ them _look good, or more specifically, her mother. Like her skills and success weren't from of all those months of relentless training, but from the inherent talent that was bestowed upon by her two "loving" parents. But they all knew that was a lie._

 _The truth was her talents were purely her own. Her body was flexible and lithe, almost unnaturally so, and her parents had nothing to do with it. In fact, they were the most ungraceful, maladroit people she ever met. She adamantly believed she was adopted; she had absolutely nothing in common with them._

 _The only talent these people, particularly her mother (again, her father could care less about these sort of events) seemed to possess was the incredible ability to deceive people into thinking she actually cared about her. The sickeningly sweet smiles, the professional fronts—it was all a sham, and it worked. And as much as she hated to admit it, her mother was terribly good at appealing to the masses. People who talked to her mother had no choice but to believe what she said. If she spoke against her mother, no one would turn their heads and she was later punished for speaking out of turn. As crafty as her mother's lies were, she was the only one who knew what the hag truly thought. She was the only one who knew what_ anyone _truly thought of her._

 _Once her leotard was on and her makeup was done, her mother pulled her along to join the other girls. Although most of them were preparing for the show, their neutral expressions indicating concentration, she could hear their derisive thoughts as they passed by._

 _ **Oh, it's**_ **her** _ **.**_

 _ **Why am I not surprised?**_

 _ **And could she be wearing anymore makeup?**_

 _ **Skank!**_

" _Stop dragging your feet!" her mother hissed._

 _ **Stupid girl. She may be able to dance, but once she's off the stage she's as clumsy and useless as the rest of them.**_

" _ **I'm not useless."**_

 _Her mother stopped, and her grip loosened. "What was that?"_

 _She paused as well. Did she just…?_

 _She couldn't help noticing the way her mother's hand shook and the slightly alarmed look on her face. She took advantage of this and snatched her wrist from her mother's loosened grip. "I didn't say anything, Mother." As she walked away from her startled mother, a shrewd smile stretched across her lips.  
_

* * *

"Nice was acting pretty weird when he left."

"I know. It's not like him to take such inconspicuous jobs by himself."

"And it offered so much money, too. Greedy bastard…"

"You should talk."

"What are you talking about? You know if I take a sketchy job it's only for the…" Birthday stopped abruptly, causing his white coat friend to bump into him. Just as he was about to scold the carrot top, Ratio was pulled behind a mailbox. "Oi," he hissed, "look over there."

Ratio followed his gaze and couldn't help rolling his eyes. It was a girl, her vibrant red hair standing out among other things. She was small, a bit taller than Honey, and she appeared to have the same waistline, which met Birthday's standards perfectly. With nothing but a skin tight jacket, tiny leather shorts, and stockings that flourished her lean legs, she became the perfect victim of Birthday's ineffective charismatic devices ("ineffective" being the operative word).

"I wouldn't if I were you," Ratio advised. He got up from the ground when he noticed the weird glances from passersby.

"What?" Birthday shrugged innocently. He was still kneeling behind the mailbox so he couldn't get spotted by the redhead. "I was just going to introduce myself, maybe even invite her for coffee. No harm in that."

Ratio shook his head knowing Birthday's intentions were anything but harmless. Though her attire made her appear small and helpless, the look on the redhead's face suggested otherwise. He could see sharp vigilance in her unusually amber eyes. They looked around the shopping district, watching out for possible predators. Her sinewy muscles were taut with tension, ready for anything that would dare sneak up on her. Even without taking off his eye patch, Ratio could tell that her body was firm and pliable enough to defend itself. He wouldn't have been surprised if she felt his perverted friend gawking at her right now.

"Oi, who are they?" Birthday sneered. Three guys suddenly came up to her, probably spewing pickup lines as mediocre as Birthday's, and the results were just the same. The girl tried to walk away, but the thugs continued to swarm her. "Well, I can see where this is going." Birthday stretched his arms as if he were getting ready for a workout.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"Huh? What are you ta—hey! Let go of me!"

The young doctor began to drag his horny friend away. "We still have a job to do. We have no time for you to full around. That girl can take care of herself."

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey. Where do you think you're going?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. There was no doubt men were the most stubborn species on the planet, not to mention the most thick-headed, so these guys were going to be in for a real world of hurt if they didn't take the hint and _back off_. They didn't seem to have a problem causing a scene, either. Some people walking by were looking over at them and others seemed to have the time to stop just to gawk and whisper as if it weren't obvious. As much as her fists ached to teach these brutes a lesson in manners, she'd rather not do anything to attract more attention, not to mention she had a menacing headache. She couldn't have been more relieved when someone intervened.

"Is there a problem here?"

As soon as the officer flashed his badge, the three troublemakers ran off, but not before shooting disdainful glares at Scarlet. "I could have taken them, you know."

"I know," he replied, noting the umbrella in her hand. "But we both know how much you hate attention."

She shoved her free hand in her pocket, stubbornly indignant. It was true she hated being the center of attention, but she hated being treated like a damsel in distress even more. "What are you doing here, Art?"

He lifted up a bag of groceries. "Police officers have to eat, too, Scarlet."

Her expression softened when she saw the dark circles under his eyes. "It looks like you've been hard at work. Are you okay?"

Art smiled, though it looked like it took a lot of effort to put up such a content façade. "I'm fine, and I'm really glad I ran into you." His tired expression didn't change, but his tone turned more somber. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" Scarlet nodded and followed in step next to the superintendent.

"This doesn't happen to be about work, does it?"

The tired look on the young man's face turned a little guilty. "Unfortunately…"

" _Art…_ " she groaned. "Why don't you ask your friends from that one private investigation agency? I bumped into that one boy you used to hang out with a lot—Nice, right?" She took his silence as an affirmative answer. "He's supposed to be a genius, isn't he? Wouldn't he be better for the job?"

"I don't want him involved in this particular case. Besides, you're more suited for this job." Scarlet couldn't help noticing the edge in his voice when Nice was brought up. It wasn't unusual for Art to ask for her help, but seeing as the police department was associated with the Minimum Agency, she kept her involvement to a minimum (no pun intended) only taking jobs that kept her in clandestine. Leaving Hamatora out of it, or rather, just leaving Nice out of it, was so unlike the lilac-haired officer, but then again, he was never really thrilled whenever they did stick their noses in police affairs. Perhaps they weren't getting along too well right now or something. Whatever the case, if Art was keeping them in the dark, she knew he would be completely reliant on her. And it was practically _impossible_ for her to deny a request from Art…

A niggling feeling tingled in the back of her mind, and she clutched her head as another ongoing wave of pain flushed through her mind.

Art reached out in concern. "Scarlet?"

"I'm okay…" She turned away from him. She never liked displaying weakness in front of anyone, especially not Art.

As she looked away, she noticed the creeps from before skulking a few yards behind, trying but failing to blend in with the crowd. Realizing what these little tingles meant, she cursed.

"What is it?" Art wasn't sure what to do seeing the redhead in pain and became really confused when a devious smirk grew on her face.

"I think I just found a lead."

* * *

 _She knew. Her mother knew what she was capable of. And she feared her._

 _Their roles were switched now, and she had her mother in the palm of her hand. No more "Stand still!" or "Stop that mumbling!" or having to act ladylike. For the first time in her life, she got to pick out what she wanted to wear, she was able to have fun—she even got to skip one of her rehearsals!—and it was great being able to make choices for herself for once. And the best part was her mother couldn't do a thing. Who would believe her daughter could hear her thoughts, anyway?_

 _Her father was none the wiser: always at work, always busy with something or other whenever he was home, his mind always on something else, but never had his thoughts ever been about his only daughter, his only child._

 _ **Why don't you look at me?**_

 _ **I'm your only daughter.**_

 _ **Look at me.**_

 _ **Is it because you wanted a son? I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be a boy.**_

 _ **Look at me… Look at me… Please, just…**_

" _ **Look at me!"**_

 _The first time she snuck into her father's head, she didn't get the reaction she expected. He simply looked at her from across the dinner table before turning back to his paper. It seemed no matter what she did, she would never be able to draw her father's attention, not even if she were suddenly able to move the chair he was sitting in and throw it, along with him in it, out the window. However, that didn't seem to be the case._

 _The next day, her father personally took her to the Minimum Agency and they spent the whole day together. It was the first time they ever did anything together at all. Though technically they weren't alone, but—ignoring the people in the white coats and the ridiculous contraptions they hooked her up to—her father was there every step of the way._

 _It turned out she was a Minimum Holder, which explained her sudden "minor miracle". She didn't know what they intended to do with her afterwards, but seeing the proud expression her father's face it had to be something great; rarely anything impressed her father enough to cause him to smile like that. Now that she had her father's attention, she was going to relish every bit of it._

 _Little did she know that would be the last time she would see her father or anyone else she knew ever again.  
_

* * *

After her little conversation with Art, Scarlet took a detour through an alleyway. And of course, the punks from earlier that day had followed her; what right-minded person would walk into an alley by themselves? They should've known better.

"Well, well, well, what happened to your cop buddy, little girl?"

"Looks like this one will be easy, boss."

"Yeah, just look at her. She's not even struggling."

"What's the matter, sweetheart? Why don't you call your cop friend?"

Scarlet was pretty even-tempered when it came to mundane things and, depending on the first impression, got along with most people. Others, like these misfortune cretins, drew the short end of the stick. The more they talked, the more it fired her up.

"Oi! Are you deaf? Answer when I'm talking to—"

With his hand mere inches from her shoulder, Scarlet took the opportunity to catch the leader off-guard and twisted his wrist with a _snap!_ The pompadour cradled his broken wrist, crying out in agony. "Y-You bitch…!" He ran at her with his other fist, but it was a shoddy effort. As soon as his hand came forward, she grabbed his uninjured wrist and swung him over her shoulder. He landed on the ground in a giant heap, unconscious. His croons quivered in fear as they watched their boss get his ass handed to him.

She smirked in satisfaction as she cracked her knuckles. That was what she needed: fear. Fear made people vulnerable; they let their guard down once they realized there was no hope for them to escape their eminent path to pain and suffering. From then on, she could read any thought, predict their every move, even sift through their memories; their mind was practically in the palm of her hand.

After a moment of rifling through their scrambled thoughts, she got exactly what she needed.

"Pathetic," she spat. "Using your Minimums against defenseless children just to get money."

"What the hell are you talking about, lady?" one of them cried.

She frowned, but she didn't question further. Looking through their minds again, her eyes widened in realization. "You're… not Minimum Holders."

"We don't even know what the fuck you're talking about!" the other cried.

" _Where are those damn kids?!"_ The croons cried in fear and held each other when the furious voice bellowed in their heads. "Did you understand that?!" she snapped. She grabbed the bigger of the two by his shirt and pulled him up so they were face-to-face. "Now, unless you want me to delve a little further into that shithole you call a brain and mess you up worse than that the douchebag you call your leader, you'll take me to those kids, _now!_ "

"We don't know anything, we swear! He promised us—"

" _Who_ promised you _what?_ " she hissed.

He flinched. "W-We've never actually seen the guy's face. One day he just came to us and promised us money. All we had to do was get the kids. Once we dropped them off, we don't know where they go—but that's it! We don't know anything else!"

She snarled at him before releasing him, and he fell onto the ground into a sniveling heap. Once his buddy helped him up, they ran away, leaving their boss defenseless. Scarlet walked out 30 seconds later so no one would suspect anything happened. She'd decided to let the authorities deal with him.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me the kids getting abducted were Minimum Holders?"

"I figured you'd be able to find out on your own. You can read minds, after all."

"That's not how it works and you know it."

After finding their hideout, Scarlet called the police, informing them exactly where those two thugs had gone and where she had left their boss. It turned out there was only one child—the rest, she assumed, were most likely taken away by the mysterious stranger who hired those thugs in the first place—which made her even more sympathetic about the kid's situation. This child was alone, and her abilities had been activated under such misfortunate circumstances. Knowing her cohort had deliberately withheld this vital piece of information from her made her extremely livid. Art already knew what he was in for when she marched into his office moments ago.

His gaze was steady under the harsh scrutiny of the fiery redhead seated in front of his desk. "I had a feeling you would act this way. I know how you feel about this sort of thing, Scarlet; when you get upset, you get quite… unpredictable."

"I can control myself just fine!" She stood up angrily and slammed her hands on the desktop. "Why the hell did you ask for my help if you had a 'feeling' I would react this way, anyway? It would've just been simpler if you just told me about the Minimum Holder kids so we wouldn't end up having pointless arguments like we always do! I may be able to read minds, but that's only to a certain degree—damn it, Art, why don't you ever tell me these things?!" Studying his expression once more, Scarlet came to a conclusion. "This is about Nice, isn't it? Why you didn't ask him for help, why you wanted to keep this whole case confidential to all members of Hamatora."

"I'm not trying to keep you from meeting them if that's what you're thinking," Art said, his elbows propped up on the desk as his hands intertwined in front of his mouth. "I'm sure you have you own reasons for never contacting them on your own."

"I barely know them."

"That's not stopping you from meeting them."

"I don't care about—when did this suddenly become about me?" Scarlet pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed heavily through her nostrils. "Why do I have the feeling we've had this conversation before?"

The lilac-haired young man smiled and unfolded his hands. It was not unusual for their arguments to spiral back towards the topic of Hamatora. Scarlet had never met any of the members of the extremely small private investigation agency, but Art could tell she was curious about them. If she really did want to meet them, he knew she could've done it on her own by now. Something, or rather _someone_ , was stopping her from doing so, and he had his suspicions about who it might be. Whatever the reason, he was glad she hadn't met them. The last thing he wanted was for Scarlet to be involved in Nice's hijinks.

"Despite what you may think," Art continued calmly, "I'm doing this to protect you, Scarlet. The less you know, the less involved you'll be with the Minimum Agency. I know how important it is you stay off their radar, and it's important to me, too." He could tell from the slightly guilty expression on her face that she hadn't realized that, and it was somewhat hurtful to know she didn't think he was completely on her side.

Crossing her arms resolutely, Scarlet sighed once more. "Where is she going now?" she asked, referring to the Minimum child she found.

"Back to her family," Art replied. "Because she's an unregistered Minimum Holder from a wealthy family, she will most likely be sent to Facultas, but it isn't up to me. My only job is to find the kids and return them to their families." Her amber eyes narrowed, turning pensive. There were more kids out there, more Minimum Holders who were yet to discover their potential, like the little girl she found. Knowing there was someone out there hiring lowlifes like the ones who cornered her earlier that day and later in the alley to kidnap those children, she wanted nothing more than to find the guy and turn him in herself, but not before teaching him a lesson or two.

With nothing further to say on the matter, she headed for the door. "Next time I see you, you better look fully rested." Even though her tone was scolding, she held a playful smile on her lips.

Art returned it with a gentle grin of his own. "Knowing that girl will be reunited with her family safe and sound because of you, I think I can rest easy tonight."

Scarlet nodded to him, the door clicking softly once it shut. But before she left, Art was certain she heard her murmur, "Me too."

* * *

" _You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"_

 _Her lackadaisical gaze turned towards the friendly voice of the boy who decided to grace her with his presence. A week at Facultas Academy and no one was courageous enough to approach her. Even in a school full of kids as unique as herself, she was still the odd one out. Which she made her wonder why on Earth one of the smartest kids in this Academy would want to sit next to_ her.

 _He took the seat beside her before she could mutter a response and smiled fondly at her as if they were old friends._

" _I'm Art." She was certain everybody knew who he was considering that he was a renowned prodigy, but he must've felt the need to introduce himself since she was so reluctant to speak. And as he continued to look at her with those soft violet eyes, she almost felt compelled to give him her name. It was hard to believe that someone was actually trying to initiate a conversation with her let alone want to know her name._

 _When she didn't respond, he turned away from her, his smile fading a bit._

 _A lump of guilt rose in her throat seeing those beautiful amethysts lose a bit of luster. After a hesitant second, the lump came out in a small sigh and she murmured almost inaudibly, "I… Scarlet."_

 _The boy known as Art turned his head back to her slightly, uncertain he had heard anything at all. She quickly turned her head so he wouldn't see the blush that shone as brightly as her hair. After a moment, when she was sure he had once again turned away, she turned back to face the front, a tiny grin gracing her lovely countenance. Next to her, the lilac boy held a matching smile, his mind solely filled with thoughts about the mysterious girl named Scarlet._

* * *

 **And that's the second member of the LAB Rats, Scarlet.**

 _ **R &R!**_


	3. The Magician

**A/N: I just wanted to thank UragiriNoTeme for the first review!**

 **Hoping for more, but in the mean time...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Magician**

"No, no, no! Not now!" The brunette resisted the urge to smash his precious laptop, which was the source of his frustration at the moment, but he knew he couldn't go another day without it. "Come on! You can't freeze on me now! Not today…!" No matter how hard he concentrated, the current image on the screen wouldn't go away. He groaned in frustration.

This had never happened to him before. He had never felt so heartbroken.

"Very well," he sighed, downtrodden. "Unless I find a new part, I guess I'm going to have to—" He stifled a melodramatic sob, "—buy a new laptop!" He stopped the theatrics as soon as he realized no one was around to watch the act, and sighed once more. "Well, I better get going."

He pulled a USB cartridge out from the PC, which was connected to his cellphone. The screen lit up, showing an icon of a black widow. A text box appeared as well as a polite salutation, but what Beta heard was a very sexy feminine voice:

 _ **Hello, Beta**_ **.**

"Hello, Charlie," Beta said to the phone.

 _ **I see my Echo chamber is malfunctioning. Perhaps is it time for a replacement.**_

Beta smirked. Charlie was very cynical for an AI, but he liked her that way. She was the first piece of hardware that had ever talked back to him, but she was completely, indubitably loyal to him despite her sometimes crude remarks. She was easily transferrable to any mobile device so the others could also have access to her. But because he was the only one who could communicate with her verbally, it was less convenient for the others to make use of Charlie's many applications. He'd yet to find a way to add some sort of Bluetooth feature so his friends could also hear her.

"Echo's a part of the family, Charlie. And don't forget he's also the reason you exist. I just need to replace his hard drive and he'll be as good as new."

 _ **I was merely joking.**_

"Of course you were. But enough joking around. I need you to text Mu and reschedule our meeting for a later time so I can fix Echo."

 _ **I'll do that right away.**_

"Thanks a lot, Charlie. Where would I be without you?"

 _ **I assume you would be—**_

"That was rhetorical."

After grabbing his porkpie hat, a light jacket, and his skateboard, Beta opened the door to the outside world and greeted the beginning of his day with a smile. "I have a feeling today is going to be interesting."

* * *

The day started out normal.

To the local denizens in the shopping district, Beta was just like any other citizen. He got up in the morning, did his morning routine, went to work, even hung out with friends outside his group of roommates every once and a while. Compared to the rest of the group, he was the most normal out of the bunch.

But despite his normal lifestyle, Beta was anything but.

"Hey, it's the brainiac!"

Beta stopped short when a group of kids ran up to him from a basketball court and scowled when he heard the nickname they gave him, but it was hard to push back a small grin knowing it more endearing than insulting. They were just kids; they didn't know better, he told himself whenever he felt the need to slap them.

"Oi! Shouldn't you brats be out causing mischief somewhere else?" He honestly had no idea what their names were. They told him several times, but he forgot each and every time. But it was still easy to tell them apart. The tallest of the three, who looked about 12-years-old, was the only one who called him "brainiac" which, now that he thought about it, was better than some of things the other two called him.

The boy smiled cheekily at him. "Off to work, brainiac?"

Beta sighed. "You know, I have a life outside of the store."

"Where you going?" the smallest of the three, a boy with a gap between his teeth, asked.

"… To the store," Beta replied sheepishly.

"I knew it," the only girl murmured pompously.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried not to get too irritated with the vexing little girl. She had always been his least favorite of the brats. "I'm not going in for work."

"Beta? Tsubasa?"

Relieved by the new party, Beta turned to one of his normal friends and his fellow coworker at the circuit store. "Hiro! Perfect timing! Today's your shift, right? I'll come with you!"

Hiro nodded numbly, completely ignoring the brunette as he walked up to the oldest boy and put him in a headlock. "Skipping school again, Tsu- _baka?_ "

Beta stared at them in amusement.

Beta had first met Hiro in the exact store they were currently employed, except they were both customers at the time. Beta happened to be looking for a piece of hardware for Echo and Charlie when he heard one of the employees trying to swindle Hiro into buying shitty software for his designing program. Honestly, if it had been any other store, Beta would've completely ignored these people and went on his way, but not in this case. To Beta, technology could be a great asset to people if used for the right intents and purposes. So tricking some poor college student who didn't know any better and giving away crap you just needed to sell for a minimum wage paycheck was unforgivable to him. So Beta stepped in and helped Hiro pick out the right software for his program, and his performance even grabbed the attention of a few other customers as well as the proprietor of the store. The guy who tried to trick Hiro, who was, coincidentally, the nephew of the owner, was fired for not upholding the integrity of his business, and Beta was immediately offered an IT position.

Shortly afterwards, Hiro began working part-time side-by-side with the witty brunette and the two became great friends. However, Beta didn't know Hiro long enough to know personal things such as family, so he was a little surprised to find out his more serious, studious friend was related to this little miscreant.

Tsubasa grunted as he tried to escape from his older brother's taut grip. "I don't need to go to school!" He finally squirmed out of his brother's arms and went to stand in front of his friends. "What's the point of going to school when I have two brainiacs who can teach me all I need to know?"

"I don't have time to teach you _anything_. Unlike you, I attend school regularly _and_ have a job on the side, and so does Mom, and that's why you're supposed to be in school _right now_."

"Whatever. If you won't help, the brainiac will! Won't you, brainiac?"

Hiro looked at his friends curiously. "'Brainiac'?"

Beta held up his hands in defense. "I'm not a part of this. You said you were going to work, right? Let's go before you're late."

Before they left, Hiro gently slapped his brother in the back of his head. "Enjoy being with your friends today because tomorrow you're going to school, and this time I'm going to make sure of it." The preteen stuck his tongue out in reply. "Nice comeback, Tsu-baka."

"I'll see you guys later!" Beta said as he strolled away with his friend.

"Hey, brainiac!" Beta caught a basketball Tsubasa throw to him before it hit his head. As his board rolled back, he decided to humor the kids and just throw the ball. He didn't bother to look back at the perfect shot as he went on his way.

"What the hell was that?"

The brunette just shrugged. "What do you mean? It just was a three-pointer. Anyone could've done it on a skateboard… Okay, maybe not everyone, but—"

"No, not that!" Beta felt his ego deflate a little. "Tsubasa… it's like he worships you."

He responded with another shrug. "Kids get easily impressed. I'm nothing special."

"Says the guy who graduated high school at 14. I don't understand why you're not in college."

"I already know everything people usually need to know to live a standard life. Plus, I already have a job, a job I happen to like _a lot_. What the hell would be the point in going back to _school_?"

His raven-haired companion shook his head. "You're just as bad as my brother."

A few minutes of idle chatter later, the two had finally arrived at the store, Hi-Fi House.

"Why the hell are you here, anyway?" Hiro asked. "Today's supposed to be your day off."

"I just need something from the back…" Before he could even get to the counter, the noirette stepped in front of him.

"I'm sorry, sir, but customers aren't allowed in the back."

Beta's eyebrow twitched. "Are you being serious right now?"

"Sorry, Beta, but since today's your day off, you're technically not a part of this staff for another twelve hours."

"Okay, first off, that's not even correct. In twelve hours, it will be midnight and the store doesn't open until ten o'clock."

"You know what I mean, _brainiac_."

"Second, that rule is dumb and it's not even real, so if you could just move a little to the left…" Hiro did not move an inch. "Please, Hiro? I just need a new part for my laptop, and I know exactly which one it is so I'll be quick about it."

"Then just tell me what it is and I'll go get it for you."

Beta hesitated. "It's… you wouldn't know even if I told you. It's a really old piece. Like dinosaur-old. It'd be much faster if I just got it myself. I have to meet up with someone soon and I don't have much time."

As soon as he saw the smirk that slipped on his friend's lips, Beta regretted what he said. "Another 'lady friend', huh? Or is it the same one from last time?" Hiro teased.

The brunette groaned. "I told you before it's not like that at all!"

"You know, it'd be a lot more fun if you'd just humor me a bit. I'd like to think that your life isn't just all about gadgets and gizmos. It makes that female android thing less fathomable."

"What—female android— _what?_ " Beta stuttered. "What kind of sick-ass fantasies do you guys have? I may be eccentric at times, but I would never do something that… _disgusting!_ "

Hiro just shrugged, not going into further detail about one of the many, many, _many_ theories he and some of the other employees of Hi-Fi House thought Beta did on his day off. Inside the store, everybody knew Beta as the friendly, intellectual, and sometimes kooky young man who had a supernatural knack for electronics. Outside of Hi-Fi House, however, there was no telling what he did with his free time, so the rest of the members of Hi-Fi House would secretly toss around ideas.

"I didn't know you had limits when it came to technology," he thought aloud.

Suddenly, a solemn look overcame Beta. "Everything has its limits."

Noticing how grave his friend had suddenly become, Hiro relented. "Fine, I'll let you go. I wish you'd let that big brain of yours take a break for once. But I am glad you're not _completely_ crazy." Beta punched the back of his head. "Ouch! Hey, don't hate! It's not my fault you insist on keeping your outings secret. I _still_ don't believe you're just meeting up with a 'friend'. You're always so dressed up on your day off."

The quirky brunette looked down as his Dockers Acrylic vest and jacket as Hiro let him behind the counter. "What are you talking about? This is completely casual."

"I… guess so. If you're going to a jazz club or the library or something, and I know for a fact that you don't read books. And what's with the hat?"

Beta cautiously put a hand on top of his favorite pork pie before coolly adjusting it so it cast a slight shadow over his face. "Well, sorry if I don't like to wear T-shirts and jeans that were _bought_ with the holes in them like some douchebag. At least what I wear is classy."

Hiro just rolled his eyes. "But seriously, are you ever going to tell me what you do on your days off?"

Beta put a hand on his shoulder, and the raven-haired young man nearly jumped. He'd never seen such a sagely expression on his friend's face before. "Maybe someday," was all he said. Before he went into the back, Beta turned around and gave him a sly wink.

As soon as the brunette was gone, Hiro shook his head and sighed. "I seriously doubt that."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Beta was still in the back scanning every box for the hard drive he needed but with no such luck.

"Damn it… Damn it… Damn it! _Where is it?_ "

 _ **I gather from the cursing you haven't found it yet.**_

Beta had left Charlie on the shelf before him so he wouldn't have to keep taking her out of his pocket whenever she had something to say. He sorely regretted that decision.

As a circuit store, Hi-Fi House not only provided the everyday technological needs of average citizens but they also provided a service. Whenever someone came in with something broken or need replacement parts, Beta was the only one in the shop who could determine the problem without even having to thoroughly check the device. The spare parts that were needed were kept in the back, organized neatly by age, size, and category by yours truly, so it only took him a few seconds to fix whatever needed fixing. People thought it was like magic. To Beta, it was just natural.

At the moment, though, it was just frustrating, and Charlie was no help whatsoever.

 _ **Why did you not accept your friend's offer to help? This process would be more efficient if two people were searching for it instead of one.**_

"How am I supposed to explain to Hiro that I have a stolen government PC that's older than dirt that needs a new hard drive that's just as old? He doesn't need to get involved."

 _ **If you say so…**_ _**Is that what you really think, Beta?**_

"Is what what I really think, Charlie?" Beta impatiently skimmed through the third box. "No, that's not it…"

 _ **What you said about things having limits. Do you really believe that, and if so, why are you going out of your way to fix Echo?**_

"Because Echo's special—Damn it! Kenichi's been in here, I just know it!—He's the only one who can get the job done."

 _ **Yes, but as useful as Echo has been in the past, he has already "reached his limit", has he not?**_

Beta paused for a moment. His hands sifted through the box of spare parts more sluggishly as he contemplated Charlie's question. Sometimes, Beta forgot that Charlie wasn't human; she didn't understand feelings or concepts such as friendship and comradery. So whenever she got like this and asked all these questions, it was difficult to come up with a logical response because whenever someone felt such a potent attachment like he felt to Charlie and Echo, words were not enough to express his feelings; it just made sense no matter what.

"It's… You wouldn't understand."

 _ **Care to enlighten me?**_

"Maybe later. Right now, I'd really appreciate it if you could do something to help make this process go faster."

 _ **I can scan the store's inventory if that will help.**_

Beta stared at the digital icon before face-palming, partially frustrated with Charlie for not mentioning that earlier, but mostly frustrated with himself for not thinking of it earlier. "Yes, that would be super helpful," he replied calmly, trying his very best not to explode.

 _ **Very well. Now scanning complete store inventory.**_

Beta watched the screen of his phone closely as a 3D image of the store showed up. Little boxes glowed orange, indicating which items were being scanned. He glanced at the corner of the screen to check the time, his heart racing slightly at what he saw. "Hurry, Charlie. We don't have much time."

 _ **Do you want me to postpone your meeting?**_

"No. Just keep scanning." Mu would surely kill him if he rescheduled again, and he would rather face the consequences for being late than postpone his demise for another day.

After a few seconds, his phone beeped. "Did you find it?" he asked hopefully.

 _ **Affirmative. It should be in the box you have in your possession.**_

Beta felt like banging his head against the wall and cursing everyone to hell, but right now, he was too relieved and a teensy bit skeptical about Charlie's report to even be mad. It only took a few more minutes before he finally found what he needed. He held it in his hand like a prized possession and, breaking into his usual dramatics, kissed it over and over again. "I thought I'd never find you!"

After pocketing his prize, Beta stood and began reorganizing his work station. "Mission complete, Charlie. And with only…" He glanced at the nonexistent watch on his wrist. "… ten minutes to spare! We might actually get there on time, maybe even early!"

 _ **If you leave now, you will be approximately three minutes and thirty-seven seconds early.**_

"Then we better get the hell out of here! Hey, Hiro, I'm gonna get out of your hair now—" Beta came back from behind the counter just in time as something sharp and shiny flew by his head. "Hey, what the hell—!"

"It's nice to see you again, Beta."

The brunette's head immediately snapped up as he identified that haughty voice. Though he couldn't recall his name (god! He was _horrible_ with names!), Beta recognized him as the store owner's nephew. The blonde had an intense look on his face, but that did not scare the boy genius one bit. "Where is Hiro?"

"I would be a little more concerned about yourself at the moment."

Behind him, Beta heard a crackle, like the sound of fireworks before they went off, and jumped away before he was blown to smithereens. He looked back at the wreckage in astonishment. Holy shit. This guy was a Minimum Holder, a stupidly destructive Minimum Holder. But he was more concerned about the whereabouts of his best friend, who was still missing at the moment, than the collateral damages.

"What the hell do you want, man?" Beta asked out of curiosity. He got up from his spot and dusted himself off casually like the explosion was nothing. This guy wasn't the first Minimum Holder he had ever encountered who wanted to kill him. "Are you here to get revenge because I got you fired? Aren't you overacting a bit? You weren't really cut out to be an IT guy."

The enraged blonde spat on something in his hand before throwing at Beta, which he quickly dodged as soon as he realized that that was what he was using to detonate his ammo. "Dude, that's _disgusting!_ Powerful, I admit, but _gross!_ "

"Shut up!" The blonde spat. "I wasn't looking to pick a fight with you. You were just unfortunate enough to be here. And I'm glad I was fired; I didn't want to keep working in this dump anyway. That hole in the wall is an improvement if you ask me, and if you don't want a hole in your chest then I suggest you tell me where you're hiding that damn Minimum Holder."

 _Well, Mu wouldn't be too happy to see me with a hole in my chest_. "I wish I could help you, but unfortunately, I have no idea who or what the hell you're talking about."

It was then Beta realized that this guy had no idea he was also a Minimum Holder. And the only other person who was with him before this sociopath showed up was Hiro, but he was missing…

Before the guy could throw another one of his spit-covered grenades, a giant _CLUNK!_ was heard and he fell, his eyes rolling up in the back of his head. Hiro stood behind him with a crowbar, the object of their salvation. Beta walked up to his unconscious assailant and kicked his head lightly. "He wasn't very smart, was he?"

"Not really," Hiro agreed. "You okay, man?"

Beta looked up at his friend in disbelief. "I should be asking you that. What happened? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm okay, man. Calm down."

The brunette was still unsure, and seeing him without a single scratch made him even more skeptical, but he let it go for now. "He said he was looking for someone," he informed. "Do you have any idea who it might be?"

Hiro shrugged. "No clue."

"But he wouldn't have come back to Hi-Fi House unless—" Beta was cut off when he felt his phone vibrate. There was a curt text, but it wasn't from Charlie:

 _ **WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!**_

 _OH, SHIT!_

"OH SHIT!" Double checking his pocket, he sighed in relief feeling the hard drive for Echo was unharmed. "It's been fun man," Beta quipped, "but I'm gonna be late. Until next time!" With a pat on the back, the boy genius jetted off like the roadrunner to meet up his mysterious friend.

Looking around the store, Hiro eyes widened at the sight of the hole in the wall before his head fell in dejection. "Beta, you owe me _big_ for this…"

* * *

"He's going to be late again. Why do I even bother?"

"Should I look for him?"

"No, he still has 20 seconds. If he's later than five minutes, I give you permission to bring him here yourself. Dead or alive."

"You're being a little harsh on him, aren't you?"

"Ten seconds."

It seemed like time began to tick on slowly as a speeding figure came rolling down the street towards the couple. However, whoever was coming towards them was going a little too fast, so they flew right past and tumbled into a trashcan. They were more breathless than injured from that sloppy entry. "I… made it!"

Walking up to the pathetic-looking young man, the smallest of the couple crossed her arms and scowled. "You're late."

"Like hell!" Once he had his bearings, the boy genius stood up, dwarfing the young girl by at least 50 centimeters. "I told you we'd meet at three, Mu! It's—!"

"Three seconds past three. You're three seconds late," she admonished. "And stop calling me that! You make me sound like a cow!"

"That's not fair and you know it! I told you I had an errand to run before I could get here! And you know I wouldn't have been late unless something happened. Don't you trust your big brother?"

Her lopsided pigtails swayed lithely as she looked away from him indignantly, but she could never resist the sappy gleam that shone in his eyes. The same light green eyes they shared. "… Fine. You're off the hook since you showed up earlier than usual. I don't need to use Mighty to know you're always going to be late no matter what I say."

Much to her chagrin, Beta lifted her off the ground and gave her a giant kiss on the check. "You're the best, Mu."

"Okay! Okay! Let me down!" Honey wiped her cheek once he set her down, and her lips twitched as she struggled to keep a smile off her face. "We have a lot of work to do, so come on."

As Honey led the way, Beta decided to walk next to his sister's companion/bodyguard, Three. "It's good to see you again, big guy." The lion-esque man nodded to him in formal greeting. "I want to thank you again for watching out for Honey. It's nice to see she's found something she enjoys doing and a partner she enjoys doing it with."

"I will always watch out for her, Beta," Three said, "but even I cannot replace her big brother." Beta said nothing to this. He didn't see why Honey would need him when she had a behemoth like Three to watch out for her, but he would always be there for his little sister whenever she needed him.

"By the way," Three went on, "did something happen while you were on your errand? You seem a little disheveled."

"Oh, it was nothing," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "You know… today wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be."

* * *

 **A/N: I have little to no knowledge about computer science, if you couldn't tell by my ambiguous hints.**

 **A/N: Some of you probably noticed I didn't use any flashbacks for our new L.A.B. Rat member, Beta. I'm saving those for later. ;)**

 **Fun fact: I thought it would be cool to use the NATO phonetic alphabet for naming Beta and his "friends". It turns out Beta comes from the Greek alphabet, not NATO, and that's also where I got "Mu" from, which coincidentally means "Honey". Small world, huh?**

 _ **R &R!**_


	4. Yin and Yang

**Yin and Yang**

 _Kage-01._

 _That was what they called him, kage: "shadow". The name fit him perfectly._

 _That was all he knew, the shadows. They were just alike:_

 _Dark…_

 _Shady…_

 _Never to see the light of day…  
_

* * *

"Hey, Yan! You heading out now?" a voice asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, in a minute." He checked his watch. "Are you ready, Yuzuki?"

Tiny hands pulled on his jacket, and he turned, looking down at a silver head of a little girl who was waiting on him patiently. He hadn't even heard her enter the room, she was so small and quiet. The same hands reached up to him and he took her left one. Her lovely dark eyes blinked at him expectantly.

He suppressed a sigh. "Did you finish the last book you got?"

She nodded slowly but surely.

"I'm not making any promises."

She pouted, and once he saw that quivering lip, he knew he couldn't say no to her. "If we get everything done early today, _maybe_ we can go." That was enough to make the girl smile, and seeing the adorably bright smile on her face that warmed his heart almost made him grin, too. Almost.

"We'll be back in a few hours!" he informed the occupant in the other room.

"Don't forget the note!" the voice from the kitchen reminded. The front door clicked shut, indicating the two had left.

* * *

 _He'd never seen the outside of the laboratory in which he was imprisoned, the only source of light being the painfully bright fluorescent bulbs that were in the room where he was forced to perform what they liked to call "tests". His cage, however, was always pitch black as to prevent the shadows from lurking._

 _He knew nothing beyond this cage, besides his shadows. He'd been confined here ever since he could remember. It was his home, his birthplace. It was where he ate, slept, everything… except when he found himself in the labs, completing his "tests"._

 _He was never told when he was taking these tests. A week, a month, maybe even a year—he'd been in that place so long he didn't bother to keep track of anything, especially not the timespan between each test day. But he always knew when it was a test. He'd wake up in one of those incredibly bright rooms strapped to a chair, and there'd be a window on his left where he knew the doctors were watching him. And like always, there was another child, another Minimum Holder—he later found out that was what the doctors called him and the other children—standing on the other side of the room looking terrified. He was right to be afraid._

 _Once he was fully conscious, and as soon as he saw the other child, the shadows under them peeled off the floor and formed a single formidable wraith. The child shrank into the farthest corner of the room and cried out, drawing the shadow's attention, and the serpentine silhouette slicked over and, like an angel of Death, ravaged the child. And he would just sit there, unable to do a thing to help, for once the shadows came out, it was out of his control._

 _They lusted blood, the blood of the doctors, the people who poked, prodded, practically_ tortured _him and were currently watching his every movement like he was some kind of animal, but there was no way to obtain it, so they settled for the next best thing…_

 _None of his victims came out of that room alive._

 _At first it frightened him, watching children his age die, knowing he was the cause but having no idea how to stop it; it terrified him so much it gave him nightmares. He tried to stop it, calling to his shadows, but they did not listen. And as his victims cried out for mercy, he could do nothing but listen as his hands were restrained, making it nearly impossible to block out something so macabre. So he closed his eyes, writhing and crying out along with his victims in empathy. And then it was over, and all of sudden, he was back in his pitch black cage._

 _After a year, it was routine. He didn't cry or try to block out the terrified screams. He didn't do anything but just watch, taking in the carnage, and then fell asleep, always waking up in his familial dark environment as if it were all a nightmare. But the lingering, metallic smell of blood in his nose told him it was no mere dream._

 _He eventually learned to accept the darkness. It was the only thing that kept the shadows at bay._

 _Light was his darkness now. As much as he had yearned for it, he couldn't have it, not as long as the shadows still lurked about for their next victim…  
_

* * *

"Aw, what a cute little girl!"

"Look at all that white on her. She looks like an angel!"

"And that boy she's with isn't half bad-looking, either."

Yan rolled his eyes at the not-so-discreet conversations going on around them and pulled his hood over his head, doing to the same for Yuzuki. It was hard to blend in with a crowd when he and Yuzuki were together, but at least it didn't draw bad attention. But he could do without the girls gawking at them while they were shopping.

"He's so dark and brooding..."

"Why are the dark ones always so sexy?"

"I don't know, but I'm not complaining."

He was glad there was no one in that one café they stopped by—that place was almost like a ghost town, he wondered if it even got any customers—and he was especially relieved knowing Yuzuki was oblivious of all the attention and the blatant remarks from those women. Her face was practically glued to the pastry shop, and it was only a matter of seconds before she would stubbornly pull on his jacket until he bought something for her.

"Don't even think about it," he warned just as she ran back to his side. "We haven't gotten everything done yet, and we won't have enough money left for the bookstore if I buy you junk food." The little girl pouted, but she stayed by his side and he couldn't help smiling as she kept glancing back at the freshly baked goods.

"How about a cookie for the sweet little angel helping her big brother with errands." Yan turned to the baker, a nice elderly widow by the name of Jo-san who also happened to be his boss. "Is that alright with you, Yan?" she asked him politely, and once again Yuzuki appointed her fair gaze onto him pleadingly.

Once again, he couldn't say no. "How about when we're finished, we'll stop by on our way out."

"Okay then, dear. Have a good day."

Yan pretended he hadn't see the old baker sneak a small Danish butter cookie to the little girl.

* * *

 _His life in the lab changed when he woke up and found a young girl in front of him. She wasn't the first girl he would fortuitously slaughter, but there was something about her that was different._

 _All these years in the lab and he'd never seen a girl like this. Her skin was so pale it seemed translucent in the bright fluorescent lights in the room, and the white walls, floor and ceiling almost made her glow. Her platinum blonde hair framed her round cheeks, and her deep, space cadet eyes wandered the room curiously. But what really surprised him was the lack of fear he usually saw whenever he woke up. She didn't seem afraid at all. She just looked… innocent. He'd never seen anyone so small and helpless._

 _Like always, the shadows beneath him and the girl came to life and formed a single entity. It slithered up to the girl, and she finally took her eyes off the walls when she realized something was approaching her. Instead of fleeing like most kids did whenever they saw the silhouette, she watched it with the same curiosity she held when she was looking at the walls._

 _And then she smiled. The damn kid was smiling in the face of Death! And laughing! That poor, sweet little girl; she had no idea what was coming next. At least her last moments alive wouldn't be spent in terror. And if things couldn't get any more bizarre, the shadow did the most unexpected thing: it transformed into a docile animal—he couldn't really tell what it was; he hadn't been around too many animals besides rats and one or two rabbits they kept in cages—and let the girl_ pet _it. It never let anything touch it before it slayed its victims! He had no idea what the hell was going on, but something in his chest hummed lightly as the little girl continued to play with his shadow, taming the monster that he couldn't control all his life._

 _The following day, he found himself in a different room. It wasn't completely dark like his old room, but he couldn't really compare this room to his old one because the bleak darkness made it nearly impossible to see anything, including whatever might have been on the walls. The bed, which only had a really thin sheet and flat pillow, felt the same. The slivers of light seeping through the metal door were an unpleasant sight to him. He had been without light for so long he despised it._

 _Across the room, he could see there was another bed, and slumbering peacefully under the sheet was the little girl._

 _She began to stir and rubbed her eyes as they tried to adjust to her new surroundings. He could tell by the way her brows furrowed dubiously and how her eyes wandered about it was still a little hard for her to see, but it was different for him. He'd been kept in the dark so long it was easier for his eyes to adjust. Once she spotted him, she smiled that terribly bright smile of hers._

 _It made him cringe. Why the hell was she so damn happy? Didn't she realize she was never going to leave this place, that she was nothing but a guinea pig to these people? Was she not sad that she would never see her family ever again?_

 _The shadow immediately took form—a rabbit, this time—and bounded to the little girl, who began laughing. He'd never been around someone with positive energy before, and it sent a warm sensation through his chest._

 _It was… different, something he'd never felt before. All his life, he'd spent every day wondering when the next test will be, how many more he would have to take until they finally had the results they wanted, and now those answers had finally come. This was the result: a bubbly little girl who didn't seem to fear anything, least of all his shadows. And now he was stuck with her._

 _But, perhaps, that wasn't such a bad thing.  
_

* * *

He'd seen the men as soon as they left the grocery store. There were only two, and they were both wearing jackets with pressed pants, something that didn't stand out too much in the crowd, but it was remotely obvious to Yan they weren't ordinary citizens. They'd been following him and Yuzuki all day, and he was afraid he knew why.

"Yuzuki, come here." The hushed whisper came out calmly as not to alert the little girl.

Yuzuki, however, was finding it difficult to break away from the book she currently rapt in. After a painstaking second to finish off the page she was on, she marked it and took her book with her to see what Yan wanted. "Is this what you really want?" he asked, gesturing to the book clutched tightly against her chest. She nodded and handed it over so he could purchase it.

After buying the book, Yan took Yuzuki to the far side of the store by a wall of books. It was close to the door, but out of sight from their stalkers.

"Yuzuki, listen carefully," he said quietly. "When I say, I want you to get out and run to the pastry shop without me."

The little girl looked confused at the unusual request. Looking back at the door, Yan knew it was only a matter of time before those men came in, and he needed to get her out of there before they found them.

"I won't be long. I forgot something on the list and I need to go back to get it." Still looking unsure, Yuzuki grabbed a bit of Yan's sleeve and frowned, which twisted his heart. He hated seeing her frown like that. "I promise it'll only take a sec. Jo-san will keep you company." Hesitantly, Yuzuki finally nodded.

The bell above the entrance jingled, and as he predicted, the stalkers came into the store, casually strolling through the center aisle of shelves stuffed with books. Gently nudging her to the door, Yan whispered, "Go, now!" and the little girl scurried off to Jo-san's shop.

The sound of the bell drew the strangers' attention, and not long afterwards did Yan leave the store, making sure their eyes were on him.

* * *

 _They called her "The Lullaby". It was a strange name, and he was yet to know the reason why they dubbed it on her._

 _Every time they came, it was the only time he ever saw her show something besides happiness. It was disturbing how she felt safer here in this room, with him and his deadly shadows, but in a way, it was also comforting for both of them._

 _The first time they tried to take her away, it immediately filled him with ire. Two doctors opened the door, letting in an excessive amount of light. His shadow grew taller and volatile, instantly going in for the kill. However, he felt the warm sensation in his chest again when he looked at the girl. She'd never seen him draw blood before, and he'd be damned if he lost control now._

Stop!

 _As soon as the thought entered his head, the shadow recoiled and retreated back to him. This seemed to bring out the exact same reaction from everyone, except the little girl, as everything was stock still and there was not a single sound to be heard. Finally snapping out of their initial shock and fear of him, the doctors advanced towards the girl once more. It took all his willpower to keep the shadow back as they took her away._

 _When she returned, she was smiling as if nothing happened, but he could see the tremors in her arms and legs as she made it to her bed. He cursed those bastards._

 _Each day they took her, he'd started to gain more and more control over his shadows, and he practiced how to manipulate them at will. He didn't know how she did it, but the only thing that could help him overcome this seemingly impossible feat was this godsend._

 _The Lullaby._

 _He didn't know why, but he felt a connection with this girl, as cryptic as that sounded to him. They'd never met, yet, for some reason, she never wanted to stay away from him for too long (as proved from the constant struggling whenever those doctors came to take her for whatever reason), and he always anticipated her return from wherever they took her. He had reason to assume she was only drawn to his shadows, but that thought was cast aside each night he awoke to find her cuddling his side. Physical affection was not something he was accustomed to, but the chilly sensation of her little hands clinging to his shabby shirt, ironically, brought out that warm sensation in his chest since the first time he set his eyes on her._

 _At once, her eyes opened, and they met his equally dark ones, her smile once again coming to life. She clung to him once more, and, hesitantly, he put an arm around her protectively._

 _That night, he made a solemn pledge to protect this girl from anyone or anything that would cause her harm, even if he had to protect her from himself._

* * *

"Where'd he go?"

"I don't know! You said he went this way."

"He did, but the girl's not with him."

"Damn it! Why is it so damn hard to watch a couple of damn kids!?"

"They're more like a couple of freaks."

"Freaks or not, we don't get paid if we don't have them. They're potentially dangerous, so we can't underestimate—"

Metal-on-metal clatter disrupted their conversation, and they turned to see the boy they had been looking for blocking their entrance, his face lacking any sort of emotion whatsoever. Another figure was standing next to him, but they couldn't really see what he, or she, looked like.

"It's him. Looks like he brought a friend."

"Is it the girl?"

"No, she was wearing white."

"Hey, kid! If you tell us where the girl is we promise you no trouble!"

"What the hell are you doing? We're not negotiating with a couple of freaks."

All of a sudden, both men were grabbed by the ankles and dragged across the ground towards the boy and his friend. Their mouths were bound and gagged by something wispy and durable, and the same material was used to bind their arms and legs. A muffled scream from his partner alerted the negotiator, and looking over at the boy, who had yet to move, he realized a moment too late that his friend was anything but human.

* * *

 _It'd been a while since he'd performed a test._

 _He was still disoriented from the drugs they gave him, but he still recognized the room, the bright lights, lack of pigment on the walls, floor and ceiling._

 _He didn't, however, anticipate the sight of the little girl strapped to a chair._

 _There were doctors still in the room, and they didn't seem to notice he was waking up. Although he wasn't fully conscious, the shadows began to manifest, but that didn't seem to concern them at all. They were too busy with the girl, who was still asleep._

 _Then he saw a needle._

 _He never knew what they injected in his veins, but seeing it actually scared him, making him ultimately grateful that they put him under without his knowledge._

 _But when he saw them going towards her with the needle, he lost it._

 _The shadows congregated as he remembered the pain in her eyes, the tears she shed every time they dragged her away—and now they were going to torture her right in front of him! Damn them! Damn them all!_

 _Finally, the shadows would quench their thirst, and for a moment, he hoped it would end there. But just before the shadow reached the last one, the needle was plunged._

 _Then came pain, and once again he was consumed by the darkness.  
_

* * *

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure Yan-kun is on his way right now. Here, have a cookie."

Yuzuki was too worried to munch on any of Jo-san's sweets. She knew whenever Yan told her to go to Jo-san's shop on her own there was trouble. She wished she'd defied Yan and stayed to help, but she also knew she would probably do more harm than good if she did.

Not a moment too soon, the noirette came in with a smirk on his face, and Yuzuki did not wait another second to run over to him. "Yan-Yan!"

He picked up the little girl as soon as she was within arms' length. "Was Yuzuki good, Jo-san?"

"She was an angel, as always. I already put together a bag of goodies for the young dear, and there's a little something in there for you, too. I know how much you like _geppei_."

"Thanks, Jo-san. What do you say, Yuzuki?" Instead of answering, the little girl clung closer to him, hiding her face in the nape of his neck. Yan's smirk softened into a smile, and he smoothed his hand over her head. "Hey, it's okay now, Yuzuki. I told you I'd be back. I promised I'll always come back to you no matter what, remember? Have I ever broken that promise?"

Removing her head from his shoulder, Yuzuki grinned up at him as if he had never left, and she yanked to get down so she could get her goody bag.

"You're lucky to have such a caring big brother, Yuzuki-chan."

Yan smiled wistfully, wanting to tell the old baker she had no idea how wrong she was. But instead, he thanked Jo-san and, taking Yuzuki's free hand, left the bakery, thinking how lucky he was to have this little girl in his life.

* * *

" _It's okay."_

 _His ears were ringing and his nose was burning from the stench of blood permeating the room. The rest of his senses were shot as he cradled her in his arms._

" _It's okay. I'm not hurt."_

 _She clung to him, tears streaming down her face. She had lost her voice, but even if she hadn't she wouldn't have made a peep. Not if it would hurt him._

" _I promise that I'll always be here for you no matter what. Nothing will take me away from you."_

 _He never would've predicted this little girl was capable of something so powerful. It seemed there was something dark in her as well, despite all the sunshine she always brought into the room. And as some of his darkness consumed her, the light she emitted began to ebb away the shadows that consumed his heart._

* * *

 **One of the things I love about writing is how much I learn:**

 **Fun fact #1:** _ **Geppei**_ **are the Japanese equivalent of Chinese moon cakes.**

 **Fun fact #2: Yan-yan is another name for panda in Chinese. I decided to name him that because of his color scheme. I didn't want his design to be too adorable in contrast to his mildly dark personality, so it still brings out that panda-esque look.**

 _ **R &R!**_


	5. The Specter

**A/N: This is an early update. I have to go back to school soon, so I wanted to introduce all of my LAB Rats before the school year started. I don't know when I'll update next so...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Specter**

It was midafternoon by the time he made it to the park. It wouldn't be long until his comrades were done with all of their errands for the day—and by errands, he meant the ambiguous tasks each member of their troupe did, whether it be by their leaders command or through their own personal agendas—and his day was no different.

He knew the others needed separate outlets in their lives to make them feel somewhat normal. It was hard for all of them, at first, but they'd finally broken out into their own routines, some even getting in touch with people they hadn't seen in a long time. He didn't really use an outlet as much as the others did, and considering his unique condition, he wouldn't have been able to reestablish the connections he lost long ago like they could. But it did not perturb him. In fact, it was rejuvenating, this new lifestyle of his.

Just as he reached the spot on the bench, he saw that his compatriot had already arrived. The young man was slumped back, his elbows resting lazily over the back of the bench and his head leaning back so far it was as if he were looking at the reddening sky, but from calm rhythm of his heaving chest, he knew the young man was only asleep.

"Break!" he cried.

After a lazy minute, the laurel-haired young man finally pulled his head up, groaning in an effort to wake up while at the same time rubbing his neck, which was also bringing him discomfort. "What the hell…"

"Serves you right for falling asleep on the bench like that," the dog admonished as he took the spot next to him on the bench. "I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd actually leave the apartment. You're as lazy as a rock; I'm shocked you were able to make it out of bed."

The original occupant of the bench ignored his snide remark and finally looked down once he was done massaging his neck. "Nice to see you too, Rei. How was your meeting with Nice?"

"He was… not what I expected. Young—really young. He's only 17. He must've left the Academy when he was at least 15."

"He was a prodigy—or I should say _is_ a prodigy. Then again, so were we. Yet I didn't see him or his Hamatora gang facing the needle for showing such prowess."

"His friends have nothing to do with this. And besides, it's not like any of this is his fault; he didn't know, so don't be so hard on him. You should've seen his face when I first told him."

* * *

 _"What the hell happened to Cap?!"_

 _The dog bowed his head and closed his eyes, and it just sat there for what seemed like an eternity. The silence made it seem even longer, increasing Nice's annoyance. But then its head came back up, its eyes the most human he'd ever seen. "It's a long story…"_

 _"Holy shit!" The young man backed up hastily but quickly caught himself on the bar top when he almost slipped. "Y-You're… You can talk!"_

 _The mutt gave him a disbelieving look. "You're surprised?"_

 _"I didn't expect you to actually say anything! How many dog Minimum Holders are there, anyway!"_

 _"So you expected me to sit here like a dumb animal and let you yell at me? Or did you miss the part when your friends just explained that I'm a Minimum Holder!" The mutt sent a glare that normally wouldn't have fazed Nice until he saw the mutt's red eye when he turned his head. In contrast to his regular brown eye, his right eye glowed ominously, as if it were looking into his soul. It made him reconsider his answer and he decided to say nothing instead._

 _"Is he always this blunt?" the dog asked the owners behind the bar._

 _Master nodded his head while Koneko laughed nervously. "Nice has never been able to control what comes out of his mouth, but he means well," she assured him._

 _"Oi, I'm right here!"_

* * *

"For a genius, he can sure be…"

"A dick?"

Rei wouldn't have used that word specifically, but he wasn't going to correct Break when he was right. "A prodigy in his own right, but yes, he was a little much to take in."

Break chuckled. "I heard not much can surprise Nice, but it's not every day you run into a talking dog."

"I can think of plenty of things that are more unusual than I am." The young man's snickering only irritated him more, so Rei quickly focused the conversation back to its original topic. "As I was saying, Nice was unexpected, to say the least. There was a lot that he didn't know, more than I originally thought…"

* * *

 _"You still haven't told me about Cap." Nice's visage once again turned somber and he crossed his arms impatiently as he waited for the answer he'd been looking for all day. "Why isn't he here, and why did he send some guy and a dog to do his dirty work?"_

 _"First of all, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking to me like I'm a dumb mongrel. Second, in regards to your earlier question, there are no dog Minimum Holders; it's been proven that animals do not possess the Minimum central nerve. I am merely borrowing this vessel so I can get around without arousing suspicion. I may be a dog on the outside, but inside I am one hundred percent human. It's a part of my Possession Minimum."_

 _Everything the mutt said just brought more questions to the surface, but Nice wasn't about to get off track again. "I just want to know about Cap and why the hell he's hiding."_

 _"He's not hiding." Nice gave him a look. "He's not hiding from_ you _, anyway. He would've come here himself, but there are still people out there looking for us. He knew the only way he'd get your attention was if he offered Hamatora a large cash reward, which, I'm sorry to say, we cannot acquiesce." He looked at the Master and Koneko in particular when he said that, as he truly regretted tricking them with such a generous reward. Master didn't seem to mind, but now he was also curious about the motives behind this "Cap's" ruse._

 _"Who exactly is Cap hiding from?" asked Koneko._

 _"I'm sorry, but I can't say that, either. We want to keep the least amount of people involved as possible, and Cap strictly wanted to convey his message to Nice, but seeing as you're his friends, it would be discourteous of me not to warn you as well."_

 _"Warn me? Is Cap in trouble?"_

 _"We're in trouble, Nice." Once again, the mutt's red eye glared over at the auburn-haired young man, but this time Nice didn't even flinch. His patience had already grown thin. "Look, I know you're upset and that you're extremely disappointed about not seeing Cap, but that letter shouldn't have been delivered in the first place. You weren't even supposed to know Cap was alive. He has new a family to consider, and we can look after each other just fine. Bringing you and your Hamatora gang into our business will only make matters worse, and I know Cap wouldn't be happy if we caused you any trouble."_

 _Suddenly, Nice became too quiet. He was too distraught to say anything at the moment, knowing his long-lost friend was out there, but having no clue where Cap was or what sticky situation he had gotten himself into, not to mention this "family" he'd suddenly gained in his absence, which included this russet-coated, wise-cracking mutt. His fists shook at his sides angrily._

 _"I'm sorry," the dog apologized. Turning to the bar owners, he pushed the bills under his paw closer to them and bowed his head. "Thank you for your service. And if it's no trouble, I'd appreciate it if you passed the word on to your friends. Cap means well, but… sometimes, he doesn't think before he acts."_

 _Koneko smiled at him courteously. "It's no trouble at all. We'll be sure to do just that."_

 _Bowing once more, the mutt jumped off the barstool and, after getting on his hind legs and pressing against the door, made his way out of Café Nowhere._

* * *

"So the meeting wasn't so good, huh?"

Rei shook his head. "I suspected it wouldn't go well, but…"

Curious by his friend's sudden disquiet, Break prodded, "What? Did something else happen?"

"… Let's just say, Cap won't be so happy when he finds out."

"Cap's going to be upset no matter what. But it had to be done."

"I know, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what is it?"

Rei growled irately. "He should've warned me that Nice, on top of being an uncouth smart aleck, can also be a stubborn ass."

* * *

 _"Oi, wait up, mutt!"_

 _The dog didn't stop nor did he slow down as the Sonic Minimum Holder ran after him, but Nice didn't have a hard time catching up to him. "Did you not hear a single word—?"_

 _"You expect me to do nothing after what you just told me?!"_

 _"Would you stop yelling? You're drawing attention." Nice didn't really care who saw him yelling at the dog but he quieted down anyway. Seeing as he was not going to go away anytime soon, the dog sighed. "Look, if you're not going to leave, the least you can do is act casual. There are people out there looking for us right now, and being in contact with anyone related to the Minimum Agency, especially you, will get us into trouble. I thought you were supposed to be smart."_

 _Nice grunted grudgingly, but he complied, putting his hands in his pockets. "I don't work for the Minimum Agency," he said calmly, "and I left the Academy years ago. And the fact remains that Cap is alive, and he's been looking for me this whole time. He wouldn't have sent that letter out if he didn't want my help."_

 _"The Cap you knew is very different from the Cap we know now. You wouldn't understand."_

 _"Try me."_

 _Spotting the closest alley, the dog turned and stopped as soon as he and Nice were hidden beneath the shadows of the buildings. After making sure no one else had followed them, he turned back to Nice. "You're really desperate, aren't you?"_

 _Nice frowned. "I just want to know if Cap's okay."_

 _The look on the young man's face was pitiful enough to emit a tired sigh from the mutt. "Fine. But in order for you to understand how… complicated this situation is, I need you to do something first." His red eye began emanating a haunting glow. "Look into my eye."_

 _"… Why?"_

 _"If you don't, you won't get the answers you want."_

 _After a moment's hesitation, Nice gazed into the ruby eye and suddenly he was enveloped into darkness._

* * *

Break stared at him in what he assumed was astonishment—which was a rare treat for Rei because his friend barely showed emotion at all—as he straightened himself up on the bench. "You didn't…"

"I did," the mutt confirmed, scratching his ear casually. "It was the only way to get him to stop asking questions, at least for the time being."

"But still, using your full abilities on him, that's just risky. You could've killed him."

"But I didn't."

"That's not the point."

"Why are you suddenly getting so bent out of shape? You said it yourself: it had to be done." Rei didn't see what the problem was, and he was actually a little surprised Break was so concerned. Nice promised to stay out of the way once Rei used his powers, and if Rei had wanted to kill him, he would have. The point was he didn't, but he supposed he did go a little too far. But only just a little. He rarely made bad decisions. "I know the point was to mask our scents from Nice, but he's a smart kid. At least I stopped him in his tracks before things got serious."

"Things got serious the moment that fucking letter was delivered to Café Nowhere." As calm as that response sounded, Rei knew Break was absolutely livid—as livid as a lazy stoic could be, that is.

"If there was another way, I would've done it. You know I would never intentionally risk our safety."

The young man on the bench sighed and slumped back into his laidback position. "Yeah, I know, but you took a huge risk."

"And it worked."

Break shook his head, quickly accepting this wasn't an argument he was going to win. "Whatever. So how exactly did Nice react? You didn't scare him, did you?"

The mutt shook his head. "Nice doesn't seem like he gets scared easily. From the look on his face, it was quite obvious he'd never experienced anything like that before, but he reacted so casually to my Minimum he seemed more… _intrigued_ than anything else."

* * *

 _"Well, that was, uh… an experience."_

 _"'An experience'?"_

 _"How else am I supposed to describe it? I've never had another Minimum Holder use their abilities on me before, at least not like that. They usually just try to beat the shit out of me, so this… this was different."_

 _"Then I suppose 'experience' is an appropriate word."_

 _"So you do that to people all the time?"_

 _The mutt looked scandalized. "Of course not! That would be dangerous."_

 _Nice flared up. "You seemed to have no problem doing it to me!"_

 _"Well, what I did was a different… version, for lack of a better word, of my Possession Minimum. People who don't have Minimums or do not possess the Minimum central nerve in their brain wouldn't… let's say 'fare well', if I did to them what I did to you, and the only reason I did it to you was because it was easier to explain exactly what it is I do and why I have to take precautions. Minimum Holder or not, I would never intentionally harm someone unless it was necessary."_

 _"You just gave me a literal_ mindfuck _!"_

 _The dog rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You're completely unharmed. But now do you see why you need to stop pursuing Cap? He's been through enough, and so have we. You getting involved will just complicate things further for us."_

 _"You don't know that. In fact, from what you've shown me, you seem to have a handle on things. I'd say you're being a little paranoid."_

 _"It's called taking necessary precautions," the mutt said through gritted teeth. "And seeing as we're still having this conversation, I say they're still necessary. I have to make sure people with your dangerous proclivity to pry stay away."_

 _"Well…" Nice stood up and stretched his arms before folding them behind his head, "until I can see Cap again, I don't plan on going anywhere."_

 _He had his back to the mutt, but he could still feel the piercing gaze of his red eye. "Nice…"_

 _"Don't get your tail in a knot. It's not like I'm going to follow you wherever you go, and it's not like I don't understand the value of family. You wouldn't believe how devastated I was when Cap disappeared that day."_

 _Nostalgia glazed over his cerulean eyes, and the mutt could sense a motley of conflicting emotions coming from him as the young man reminisced. "I knew the school had to do with it. I don't know where they took him or what they were planning on doing with him, but I just knew they took him, so I couldn't stay. I didn't even look for him. You'd think I would have, but I didn't even consider it. I mean, he wasn't just my best friend. Cap was my brother, he was family, and I basically turned my back on him. How fucked up is that?" He let out a chilling laugh. "It's funny, though. Even though I didn't find Cap, I had a feeling he could find a way out of that damn school without my help. But still, I wish I could've made an effort for him. I guess leaving Facultas was the best 'fuck you' I could think of._

 _"But now everything's changed. Now that I know he's alive and that he's nearby, I don't want to make the same mistake again." When Nice turned around, the mutt saw the biggest smile on his face. "So you can tell me to stay away all you want, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to find Cap, and you can be damn sure I'm not letting the fuckers who broke him get away with it."_

* * *

"He really is a stubborn ass."

"Yes, well, there isn't much we can do about that. He promised not to follow me, but I don't see him finding any other means to get to Cap, unless he runs into Yan and Yuzuki. I'll just have to warn them." The mutt yawned. "I wish there was more I could've done to prevent this…" Rei yawned again and rested his head on his paws. Recalling his exhausting day to his compatriot had made him rather, well… _exhausted_.

"It's not your fault," Break said. "You didn't write the letter."

"But I can't really blame Cap for what he did. Nice and the others were his first family."

"We're his family, too." Rei's ear perked up when Break said this, and he swore he could almost feel the acrimony of his statement. However, before he could comment on it, Break stood from the bench, his hands resting casually in his pockets and his eyes once more covered by the silhouette of his knit cap. "It's getting late. I'm sure the others have been waiting long enough."

"Go ahead without me. There's something I have to take care of first."

With a shrug, Break made his way back to the apartment without him. Rei waited a few minutes after he left before going to run his last errand of the day.

He reached a nice apartment complex. It was nothing like the one they were staying at: nice, family-friendly, and it was really close to the shopping district so no one paid any mind when a stray dog wandered inside.

He went up the stairs to the second floor and stopped in front of the third door, apartment #203. He scratched the door a bit and waited five minutes with no reply. With a loud bark and more scratching, the door finally opening, revealing a woman in her mid-forties who looked to be no less than thirty. Her brown hair had a few loose grays sticking out of her ponytail. Her brown eyes, which were usually warm and kind, looked tired and downtrodden, but they immediately lit up once she saw the mutt on her doorstep.

"Hey, you!" The woman knelt down to pet Rei, and as she ran her fingers through his fur, he relished the softness of her hands, her tender touch, and the sweet, citrusy scent he'd never grow tired of. "You're such a clever little guy for not getting caught by the landlady as often as you visit me. She doesn't allow pets." She smiled sadly and her eyes seemed to glaze over with memories. "You would've liked my son. He loved animals and he's always wanted a dog, but his father…" She bit her lip. The downcast look from earlier returned before feigned contentment pushed it aside once more. "Anyway, you would've been perfect for him. You're so sweet and loyal. If only he were here..."

The mutt barked, breaking her out of his slightly depressive state. He pawed at his kerchief, which held a hidden envelope, something he made damn sure stayed hidden while he was with his comrade. If Break knew what he was doing, he'd skin him alive.

She gingerly took the envelope out from his kerchief and frowned. "Another check?" She checked the envelope to see if there was anything else she might have missed before quickly pocketing it inside her sweater in case any obtrusive eyes saw this shady-looking transaction. "This owner of yours should really lay off. Whoever he is, I appreciate his help, but it's not really appropriate of me to take money from a complete stranger."

The woman went back inside and returned shortly afterwards with an envelope of her own. It looked plumper than his. "Take this to him for me, will ya? I want to pay him back for everything he's done for me, and there's a little something for you, too." She winked at that last part.

He was reluctant to take it at first, but he couldn't refuse, no matter how much he wanted to.

"I knew I could count on you! You're such a good boy!" she cooed. "You're welcome back any time, but make sure the landlady doesn't see you, not that that's been much of a problem for you." Ruffling his shaggy head one more time, the woman smiled and shut the door, leaving Rei feeling as dejected as the look in her beautiful brown eyes.

 _You need to stop coming here. You're only setting yourself back._

With a heavy-hearted sigh, Rei went on his way home with the envelope in his mouth, leaving yet clinging to the one last connection in his outlet.

* * *

 _"Kaa-san, look what I found! Mori-sensei let me keep him!"_

 _The little boy ran into his grandfather's compound with his find sporting a proud smile. However, as he reached the kitchen, he sensed something was horribly, horribly wrong. Usually, whenever he called his mother, she would reply, but upon entering the kitchen, not only was his mother missing, but the pot on the stove was unattended._

Oh, no. _His eyes widened in horror._

He _was back._

 _Suddenly, he heard someone yelling angrily from the front of the house. It was his mother, and it sounded like she was arguing with somebody. Swallowing the anxious lump in his throat, he crept closer to the threshold between the kitchen and the living room. Once beside the door, he listened closely to the dispute. The other voice, thankfully, did not belong to_ him _._

 _"How the hell did you people find us? And how many times do I have to tell you people to leave us alone!"_

 _"I'm sorry, ma'am, but according to what your husband told us—"_

 _"_ Ex _-husband. And whatever that two-timing son-of-a-bitch told you is a lie! I would never harm my son!"_

 _"You can take this up in court, ma'am. Now where is your son?"_

 _"He's not home. School just got out, but he has after school clubs—"_

 _The creature in his hands croaked and the voices in the other room suddenly went silent. In fear of being caught, the little boy slowly and quietly backed away from the door. He was usually good at being silent; he had plenty of practice whenever his father came home with half a bottle of liquor. However, he was having a hard time making the frog cooperate. It finally managed to slip its way out of the little boy's uncomfortably warm grasp and, unfortunately, hopped its way into the living room. Without thinking, he ran into the living room after his pet. All eyes focused on him._

 _And then all hell broke loose._

 _"Rei-kun, run!"_

 _"Kaa-san!"_

 _Mother and son reached out to each other. Strong hands restrained him while strong arms held his mother back from him. They called out to each other desperately, but it was useless._

 _As they dragged him out of the door, he saw one of them hit her. "KAA-SAN!"_

 _The next thing he knew, he was throwing those people off of him and his mother. She looked up at him, terrified. He looked at his hands, stained red. But they weren't his hands. He felt sick. He didn't feel like himself, and it scared him because he wasn't himself. He was someone else._

 _All of sudden, he felt pain in the back of his head, and then nothing._

* * *

 **And there we have it, the last member of the L.A.B. Rats. I feel like the outlet metaphor related to Beta more than Rei at first, but then I just went with. What do you guys think?**

 **A/N: I know Rei is a girl's name, but loosely translated it can also mean "ghost" or "specter" which made it sound more boyish, and as soon as I put a name to the face I couldn't think of anything else that would fit him, so Rei it is.**

 **More of Hamatora will be in the next chapter! Until next time… _R &R!_**


	6. The Meeting

**A/N: I wanted to update my two most recent fanfics before reigning in the New Year! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Meeting**

"What the hell?!" Birthday cried! "So that big job offer, that wasn't real?!"

Koneko nodded. The next day, she and Master told everyone what happened at the café and the meeting with the dog. After explaining the situation to Hamatora, everyone had various reactions. Needless to say, they were all very unhappy, but none more so than Nice, who had yet to return from chasing after the dog yesterday. However, each one of them was taking the news a little differently from each other:

Murasaki wasn't so much mad at Cap for lying as he was mad at Nice for being the primal cause of this ploy. Ratio seemed to be more interested in the mysterious identity of Cap and why he would make his friends go out of their way to deliver a paltry letter to someone he probably hadn't seen since he was twelve. Birthday was the only one who seemed truly outraged about the whole thing, ranting on and on about finding the stiff, making him pay every dime he had, burning down his house, and then doing background checks for any future customers—unless, of course, they met _his_ standards. Hajime just sat at the counter munching on a burger, more worried about Nice than anything, although she didn't show it.

And while everyone was still taking in this new development, Koneko began to ponder about it as well. The meeting with that strange dog Minimum Holder was unusual albeit very intriguing. She hadn't gone to Facultas Academy like the others, so she assumed they might have a clue as to who this "Cap" is. But it seemed that Nice was the only one who remembered him.

"You said this guy was trying to get Nice's attention?" Ratio asked Koneko. She nodded again and he looked away thoughtfully. "Strange. I don't remember going to school with a boy by that name."

"How are you not mad?!" Birthday exclaimed, still obviously incensed.

"It seemed pretty obvious from the get-go there was no money, considering this guy's sketchy background," Murasaki answered. "Besides, none of our customers have offered us such a hefty payment before."

"Not yet, anyway!"

"Where's Nice now?"

Koneko's mouth was already open to reply, but seeing Master shake his head, she shut up abruptly and frowned. It seemed Nice still needed to be left alone, for the time being.

"He's not with the guy, is he?" Birthday inquired, completely oblivious to the somber atmosphere. His anger quickly dissipated and was replaced by his ravenous smirk. "That's so like him. Leaving the rest of us out of the fun."

"You think he already found the guy?" Ratio asked, suspicious.

"This guy is supposed like a brother to him, and he's in trouble, isn't he? Leave it to our valiant Sonic Minimum Holder to go to his rescue! And sure, he may not be rich, but I doubt he would leave his long-lost buddy empty-handed."

"You're such a leech."

Everyone turned to the voice at the door. Birthday was already out of his seat to welcome them. Well, to welcome _her_. "It's nice to see you, too, Honey. And you too, girls." His hands were inches aware from her breasts until a guttural growl came from behind the young woman. "And Three. I-I almost forgot about you." He inched away from Honey, facing away from the older man's predatory gaze.

"Why does everyone look so depressed?" Honey asked, ignoring the lecher.

"Someone offered a job, but it turned out to be a trick," Koneko explained.

"More like a lure to get to Nice," Murasaki clarified.

Koneko retold the story to Honey, who seemed to respond better than the others about the whole fiasco.

"Cap, huh? I thought that name sounded familiar."

Everyone turned attentively to the brunette. "You know him?" Koneko asked.

"I don't know the guy personally, but I do know a guy who knows him. They're roommates."

"What?!" everyone cried.

Birthday had Honey by the shoulders. "Someone actually lives with this dick?! Who is he?! Where does he live?!"

"Let go of me!" She punched him and brushed her coat as if to dust his germs off. "That's none of your business. I don't even know where they live, and even if I did, I'm not in any place to tell anyone anything, least of all _you_ ," she poked Birthday's chest, "so don't bug me. And anyway, Cap just wanted to see Nice, right? I'm sure Nice can handle himself if anything happens, so there's no reason for the rest of us to get involved."

Birthday rubbed his jaw. Honey was not athletic in any way, shape, or form, but she had one hell of a mean swing. "Why do you care so much?"

Honey took a seat at the bar and crossed her legs casually. "I don't. That's why I'm not getting involved."

"Getting involved in what?"

Standing at the door was Superintendent Art, who looked at the group in question inquisitively.

"Nothing," Honey said nonchalantly.

"We're talking about Nice and this guy he used to know at Facultas, Cap," Birthday said contrarily. Honey kicked him. "Ow! I thought you didn't care!"

"I don't."

"Then stop hitting me whenever I bring it up!"

"Cap?" Art repeated.

"You know him?" Birthday pried, almost too excited for his own good.

Art put a fist under his chin reflectively before shaking his head. "No, sorry. I don't believe I know anyone by that name."

Murasaki narrowed his gaze at him. Something passed through those heliotrope eyes before he answered, and the young detective had a feeling Art and Honey were hiding something from the rest of them, although he did agree with Honey about putting this to rest; even the dog Minimum Holder warned them not to get involved. Everything about this "Cap" was just too suspicious, and it didn't seem like it was worth the risk of looking into.

Of course, knowing Nice, he was out there doing the exact opposite. For a genius, he could be really stupid sometimes.

"Where is Nice?" Art asked curiously.

"Looking for the bastard," Birthday grumbled.

"Would you stop moping?" Honey said irately. "There are other people out there who need your help and are willing to give you the cash up front. Why don't you gripe to them?"

"When do you think Nice will be back?" Art inquired.

"I'm not sure," Koneko answered honestly. "He went after the client's friend and he hasn't been back since. He could return at any moment."

"So we shouldn't waste any more time waiting for him," Murasaki said.

"I agree," Ratio added. Grabbing Birthday by the collar, the doctor began dragging his deviant cohort out of Café Nowhere, earning punitive whining from the carrot top.

"Good riddance," Honey murmured. But Murasaki didn't miss the relieved sigh that came after that muttered response.

* * *

Something wasn't right this morning, Scarlet could feel it. As soon as she woke up feeling refreshed and well-rested, she thought the worst had happened.

For a normal human being, waking up fully recharged was not something to get panicky about. But when you lived with the most vexing roommate in Yokohama, you never woke up like a normal human being, especially if that roommate was Beta.

But Scarlet only had herself to blame. She wanted her own room with her own bathroom and a kitchen she didn't have to share with five other people. Unfortunately, five people was too many for the apartment downstairs, and there was one spare bedroom in hers. Break shared a room with Rei, and Yan and Yuzuki were completely inseparable, so of course they'd share a room, too. That only left two options for Beta, and he would absolutely not sleep on the couch knowing that Rei's other body was in the bathroom (she really couldn't blame him for that, though). She was completely fine with it… until she found out Beta was the only person who woke up at six in the morning without a purpose for doing so.

But instead of being woken up by jazz, scatting, and the occasional rigged alarm on her phone, today she was woken up by a blissful morning of glorious sunshine and harmonious chirping. Something was definitely wrong.

Her panic quelled slightly once she caught the whiff of pancakes—chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, to be precise. Though the scent was weak, she could still smell the scrumptious breakfast food from the hallway. Entering the kitchen, Scarlet saw a plate of the fluffy delicacies, but they looked untouched, not a single bite taken. And no Beta in sight, either. Strange…

"The pancakes got cold."

She jumped, completely unaware of his presence until he spoke. Walking around the corner she saw a head of light brown hair lying against the back of the couch in the den.

Like a hunter approaching a chary deer, Scarlet slowly made her way over to the couch. That impish grin on his face was gone. His hands chilled behind his head in a blasé manner and he seemed to be thinking really hard about something. He finally looked over at her, repeating, "The pancakes got cold." She raised a brow. Beta was a giant, obnoxious ball of energy; to see him this calm was giant red flag.

"I heard you the first time. Why didn't you wake me like you usually do?" He shrugged. "What? No, 'Rise and shine, princess!'? No rigged alarms? No threatening to tell the others about my 'jobs'." Another shrug. She frowned. "What the hell's with you today? You're acting… _normal_ , which is… _abnormal_."

The brunette adjusted his hat onto his head. "Come on. We're gonna be late."

"Late for what?" Beta said nothing more as he went to the door.

Outside waiting for them, an annoyed-looking mutt glared at the two lollygaggers. It looked like a Shiba Inu, except it had longer ears, a straighter tail, and the build of a beagle. Its frustration resonated from the glowing red eye. "What took you two so long?"

"Sorry. It took a while to wake her up."

"You didn't wake me at all!" The brunette ignored her and walked past the two to the stairs.

Scarlet turned to the four-legged Minimum Holder, confused as hell. "Am I missing something?"

"Didn't he tell you?" She answered his stupid question with a glare. "We have a meeting today."

Time seemed to freeze the moment right after Rei said those words to her.

 _We have a meeting today._

Nothing good ever came out of a congregation between all the fellow "Lost and Begotten". Only two had ever taken place, both called upon by Break, and when they had these meetings, it meant someone was in trouble, which meant they were all in trouble. After two years in this complex, Scarlet had finally had her own routine, and she was sure if she asked the others, they would've felt the same. The only reason she could think Break would call them all together was because he finally figured out she was working with the police, or rather, just the superintendent, but the only reason he would know that was if either Beta told him or if Rei somehow found out on his own, as he was the stoic's eyes and ears. From the way that mongrel was looking at her, he didn't seem to suspect her of anything. Hopefully it'd stay that way.

"Did Break say _why_ we're having a meeting?"

"Break will explain once we all get there." Knowing that was the closest she'd get for an answer, Scarlet begrudgingly nodded and followed him to the apartment below.

The pair descended the stairs in silence, and by the time they got to the room, Beta was already inside, looking as placid and un-Beta-y as ever. She could only assume he also had something to hide seeing as he refused to speak to anyone. The only people who were acting completely normal were Yan and Yuzuki, the alabaster little girl sitting on the equally pale boy's lap while they were both reading the same manga, completely phlegmatic. But it wasn't like they had any secrets.

Before they all escaped the labs, each one of them was just a clueless kid stuck in a hellish situation. Yan and Yuzuki were the only ones who were originally from the labs, having no clue of their origins and little to no human contact with people from the outside. If any of them had nothing to hide, it was those two.

Break was nowhere to be seen, but Scarlet knew he would show sooner or later so she didn't bother to find a place to sit. Honestly, she thought this was all a big waste of time. If he knew she was working with Art, there was no need to have a meeting about it. Whatever he had to say he should just say it to her face instead of calling her out in front of everyone.

As if he could sense her acrid thoughts toward him, Break entered the den with a bottle of sake and a couple of shot glasses, which meant he was pissed; he wouldn't have brought out the alcohol while Yuzuki was in the room, otherwise. Yan, not very appreciative of the action, took Yuzuki into their bedroom before coming back out and taking one of the shot glasses, not hesitating to pour himself a drink. Most of them were underage, but shots were the only tradition during a meeting that got everyone on board. The buzz made the process less painful, but no one was allowed to drink so much that their senses were completely numbed.

However, no one else was willing to grab a glass. Beta held his phone tightly in his grasp, and Rei, who would normally switch back to his original body to partake in the tradition, sat obediently next to Break. Scarlet crossed her arms, glaring daggers at the laurel-haired stoic.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Break addressed her, "Don't you want to sit, Scarlet?"

"Why bother? We all know what this meeting is about."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She clenched her fists and used every ounce of self-restraint from snatching up the sake bottle and throwing it at him. God, he was as frustratingly ambiguous as Art! "Can we just cut the crap and get to it already? Why don't you just tell us why you called us all here for a meeting—!"

"You can cut the dramatic banter, Scarlet. That's _my_ department." Beta, who interrupted her, stood from the couch, a small smirk worming its way onto his face. He almost looked like himself again. With a flippant wave of the hand, he gestured to Break, saying, "Go ahead, boss," before slumping back onto the couch.

But Scarlet wasn't done. "Shouldn't Cap be here? _He's_ the leader, not you."

" _Cap_ is the reason why we're having this meeting in the first place." Break drew something out of his pocket and handed it to Yan, who began to unfold what looked like a crummy piece of paper. For a split second, the noirette's eyes widened, showing some contriteness, but then it quickly faded. No one else seemed to have noticed, except for Scarlet. Perhaps he wasn't completely guiltless after all.

"What is that?" she probed.

"A letter Cap wrote to one of the private investigators of Hamatora, Nice. Unfortunately, Rei wasn't able to intercept the message in time and now Nice is looking for Cap, so we have a dilemma on our hands. As of now, Cap is temporarily relieved of duty, which means," he glared pointedly at Yan, who met his glare with a completely passive look, before addressing everyone else, "I'm in charge, and as of now, no one leaves until I know it's safe."

"Safe from what, exactly? Who could still possibly be after us?" Break's hands folded in front of his mouth as he leaned his elbows onto his knees. "Are you going to answer _any_ of my questions?"

"I didn't think I'd have to explain to you why we're hiding."

Scarlet rolled her eyes. She was wrong; Break was more of an asshole than Art. "Of course I know why we're hiding! But house arrest?! _Are you serious?!_ We can't keep living like this!"

"She has a point," Yan said.

Break glowered at the alabaster young man. "You're partly at fault, Yan. I don't think you have any room to talk."

Yan shrugged shamelessly. "I wouldn't have sent that letter if I'd known what was on it, but there's nothing we can do about it now. There's no need to go completely AWOL just because Cap made one mistake."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with them, Break," Rei coincided, much to the stoic's chagrin.

"Rei…"

"We won't last for more than a few days, not to mention we're struggling enough to make ends meet as it is. Scarlet, Beta, and Yan are the only ones with jobs, and it'd be really suspicious if they all suddenly didn't show up for work." Scarlet began wrapping a strand of hair around her finger nervously. Her having a job was half true, but she didn't want to make the situation more detrimental than it already was by correcting Rei on a technicality. She didn't think they'd be too against it since she was getting compensation for her services, which went toward their living expenses, and she already decided to start looking for a real job, so there was no need to bring it up anyway. Problem solved. Kind of.

"We just got groceries the other day, and there's also the rainy day fund."

"That's chump change—nothing we can live on." Scarlet noted how Rei was quick to reject Break's idea, which wasn't too unusually, but when it came to safety of the L.A.B. Rats as a whole, they were always on the same page. For him to suddenly disagree… he must've been hiding something, too.

Break, however, considered this and closed his eyes in contemplation. After a few seconds, he sighed tiredly and leaned back against the couch. "Look, I have no problem with you guys wandering around the city doing your own thing, and I realize that after escaping the labs, you probably want to find your loved ones, if you haven't already. But it's not okay if it jeopardizes our lives. We swore to protect each other, and Cap broke that oath—an oath that he constituted _himself_ —once he sent that letter." Suddenly, a grimly dark look glazed over his eyes as he continued, his hands once again folded in front of him.

"We are the only ones who survived Project L.A.B., and it's already been reaffirmed that the Minimum Agency is still looking for us; wouldn't want to scare the public if it was accidentally let out that their failed science projects got away. So now we have to do whatever we can to look after our own. I have no grievances with your individual schedules as long as it doesn't draw any attention to us. If you guys want to roam free, roam free, but this is my first and final warning: Hamatora and all of its members are _off-limits_. I don't want the same mistake to happen again, so stay out of trouble. Got it?"

Everyone unanimously agreed, but Scarlet was more reluctant to accede with the others. Sneaking a glance at Beta, who hadn't said a word since the meeting had officially started, he seemed relieved that the meeting was over but not too thrilled about the arrangement, either. Guess she wasn't the only one dealing with Hamatora's demons. Either way, whatever secrets they were all hiding were safe. For now.

* * *

 _"This place looks like shit."_

 _"Well, it's the safest place we could find."_

 _"And it's much better than the last place."_

 _"Still looks like shit. Ow! What was that for, Yan?"_

 _"Language."_

 _"Yuzuki's asleep! It's not like it matters! And anyway, does this place even have plumbing? I mean, if we have to live in a dump, it at least has to have running water."_

 _"If you can find someplace better that will allow runaway teens with no jobs and superpowers—"_

 _"Alright, alright. Point taken."_

 _"So what if there is no water. You're a tech whiz, Beta; can't you do anything about it?"_

 _"Computer engineering and mechanical engineering are_ not _the same thing—ow! Stop hitting me!"_

 _"You woke up Yuzuki."_

 _"Guys, stop worrying!" In a joyous bound, a gray-eyed boy leapt up in front of the group onto a dusty coffee table and put his hands on his hips authoritatively. "This place is_ paradise _! I mean, sure, it's a little rough around the edges, but we can buff it up! And no one will bother to look for us in a place like this!" Jumping off the table, he offered a humble smile to his friends. "I know this situation isn't ideal, but at least we have each other, right? We can worry about food and water and all that other stuff later. Right now, let's just make the best of it, okay?"_

 _The others exchanged looks with each other before nodding. He had never steered them wrong before, and they wouldn't have made it this far without his leadership._

 _"I promise, everything will be fine. We're a family now, the only L.A.B. Rats that will ever be. We look out for our own, and I swear I will do whatever it takes to make sure you're safe."_

 _"And we'll have your back, too." A sandy-haired boy went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder complacently._

 _"Yeah, L.A.B. Rats for life." Scarlet punched his arm endearingly. Yan, with a sleepy-eyed but perfectly content little girl in his arms, joined him, offering him a smile and an affirmative nod._

 _"Can we at least change the group name?"_

 _"Shut up, Beta."_

* * *

 **Happy New Year! And don't forget to _R &R!_**


	7. The First Day

**The First Day**

For the second time in his life, Nice had no idea what the hell to do. After all this time, Cap had finally contacted him, but now there were other forces at work:

For one thing, there was the dog—Rei, if he remembered correctly—and those other Minimum Holders he failed to mention. That sardonic son-of-a-bitch was little to no help. Even though he clearly stated he had no intention of helping, the mutt could've at least given him more satiable answers. Instead, he had to go and do something else…

 **=V=**

 _The bleak darkness that corrupted his vision shortly dissipated. Looking around, Nice didn't see any changes. He was still in the alley where he hid with the mutt._

 _The only thing that seemed missing from this scene was the mutt himself. "Hey, what the—"_

 _ **Nice, are you there?**_

 _The voice was hollow, like an echo in a dark hallway, but he knew it belonged to the mutt, even if he couldn't see him. "Of course I'm here. Why? Was I supposed to be somewhere else?"_

 _ **No. Just… try moving your arms.**_

" _My arms?" He looked down to see the missing mutt in his arms. "When did I pick you up?"_

 _ **Never mind that now. Just do as I told you.**_

 _Huffing indignantly, the young man tried doing as he was told, but his arms remained securely around the dog. "I can't. I can't move at all! What the hell did you do to me?!"_

 _ **Calm down. I didn't do anything to you. At least not physically.**_

" _What do you mean? What the hell's going on?!"_

 _ **I merely took over your body, but I allowed your consciousness to stay so you can observe what I can do.**_

" _But… how is that possible?"_

 _ **I'll explain later. Now just keep still. Thanks to you, someone's tailing.**_

 _Before Nice could ask another question, three guys in suits stopped in front of the alley. They looked around for quite a bit before moving on, and Nice could practically hear the heavy sigh of relief from Rei. "Who were those guys?"_

 _ **They're from the Minimum Agency. They've been looking for us for the past two years.**_

" _Two years?" That was around the time he had left Facultas. Which meant Cap had been here, in Yokohama, wandering aimlessly with a bunch of kids who were special enough to be locked up somewhere in that facility, and he was none the wiser. He'd never felt so angry with himself in his life. "Why are they after you?" he asked, his voice taut. "What makes you guys so special compared to the rest of us?"_

 _He could picture the dog closing his eyes, silently loathing him for being so straightforward but also completely exasperated from this entire endeavor._

 _ **I can't really speak for the others, but the Minimum Agency has been the bane of my existence since I was young. I was taken from my home and experimented on for my "gift".**_ _Nice nearly cringed at the acrid tone of Rei's voice when he mentioned his Minimum._ _ **When I met Cap, he wasn't like anyone I met before. He took everything with a grain of salt, even when he was…**_

 _Nice did not like that pause. "What? When he was_ what? _"_

 _ **The point is Cap is much more important to us than you think.**_ _ **If it wasn't for him we would've never made it out of that lab. I'm not doing all of this just for us. I'm doing it for the boy who saved my life, and I will not hesitate to eliminate anyone who dares to jeopardize his safety.**_

 **=V=**

And the rest was history.

The next day, Nice wandered the streets on his own, completely clueless as to how to help his friend, and wondering why the Minimum Agency was involved at all.

When Nice had left Facultas Academy, they had sent the second highest ranking student to come after him and bring him back. Now that student was his partner, Murasaki. Other than a few scraps, the Minimum Holder PI duo had been getting along quite fine without any interference from the Academy or the Minimum Agency. Nice had thought his involvement with some of the police cases had a little something to do with it, but he had never really concerned himself with it until now. Cap and his friends must've had some nifty Minimums if the Minimum Agency was still hunting them down. The only question now was how was he going to find Cap without further attracting attention their way?

Since the dog wouldn't help and he had no idea where to start on his own, the brunette decided to just go back to Café Nowhere. Maybe once he had something in his stomach he could think of a proper plan.

As soon as he was inside, he went straight to the bar, his head hanging low in exhaustion and dejection. "I know I still owe you from last time, Master, but can I just get a burger this one time? I promise I'll pay you back someday."

"I don't know who this 'Master' is, kid, but if you don't have any money, I suggest you get out of my bar."

The very crass voice made Nice look up and realize he had indeed walked into the wrong establishment. The man behind the bar, the owner, had salt-and-pepper hair and a five o'clock shadow, his scruffy mouth downturned in a very annoyed grimace. Looking around, the young man saw that there were only three other people in the bar. Even though they were all sitting at three separate tables, they must've been regulars because they were all giving him weird looks. He must've been really out of it to not notice he walked into the wrong bar.

"Sorry. I thought you were someone else." All of sudden, a sharp gurgle erupted from his stomach. Turning back to the barkeep, Nice gave a cheeky smile and rubbed the back of his head impishly. "Uh… I know I said I was short on cash, but do you think you could just start up a tab—"

"Fat chance, buddy."

His head fell back down sullenly. "I thought not."

"Give the kid a break, Kenta." The owner of the smooth voice seemed to have come out of nowhere. She was a lot younger than her boss but old enough to work in a bar, apparently. Her short blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail with the exception of her bangs, the inky-black strands hanging in front of her fiery eyes breezily. "Just put it on my tab, okay?" The older man grunted in reply. He shot Nice an irate glare before going into the back to make (and most likely spit on) his burger.

"Thanks a lot," Nice said.

She gave him a blasé smile. "Don't mention it. You've obviously been in this situation before, and seeing as you look like you'll pass out any second, it'd be kind of cruel to chase you out, even if you are just a kid."

"Yeah." He nodded absentmindedly, resting his chin on the bar tiredly.

"I've never seen anyone look so sad after receiving a free meal. What's on your mind, kid?"

"Would you stop calling me that? I'm not a kid, old lady!"

Her nose flared up. "And I'm not an old lady, _kid!_ "

The two were suddenly nose to nose, and Nice could practically feel the caustic static between them. As he glared into her amber eyes, he began to feel something wrench in his gut, and it wasn't just from hunger.

After a tense second, the bartender drew back, halting their staring contest. She grabbed one of the wet glasses and began to dry it off roughly. "Don't push your luck with me, kid. I might've saved your ass, but it's coming out of my pay so I better not get any more lip from you."

He drew back hesitantly, resting his chin on his palm childishly. "Whatever."

The atmosphere was once again tense, this time with silence. Nice glanced at the barkeep every now and then and the silence that followed their spout left him feeling even lousier than before. Nice wasn't usually one to feel remorse about something as petty as an argument even if he was in the wrong, but all of a sudden he wanted to apologize to this girl he'd just met. Then again, this would probably be his last meal until he could scrounge enough money from another PI job, and who knew how long that'd be?

"Sorry. I didn't mean it."

She shrugged indifferently. "Forget about it. I've dealt with bigger bastards. But no more of this old lady crap. I'm 19. Call me Ruby."

Nice looked back up at her— _really_ looked at her, as if he were seeing her for the first time. He didn't recognize that name, but there was something about her that was peculiar…

And then it hit him.

 _Her eyes!_ They were so vibrant, so full of fire, so… _weird_. He knew he felt something off about her during their little stare down. Granted, he'd seen his fair share of weird considering he was a private investigative Minimum Holder, but Ruby's eyes weren't anything like he'd ever seen before, except he _had_ seen them, only… he couldn't remember where he'd seen them or on whom. All he knew was that he'd seen a set of peepers just like Ruby's, and he was sure that person was a Minimum Holder.

 _And if that's true, then that must mean…_

"Here you go. One hamburger." His train of thought quickly flew off track as the delectable, greasy smell of hamburger entered his nostrils and he couldn't help salivating as his poor stomach gurgled once more. Nice watched as Kenta went back into the kitchen, but he quickly forgot about him when Ruby set down a plate of fries. "I also gave you a small side, just to be nice. I know the only reason you're in such a grumpy mood is because you're hungry, so eat up."

"Thanks a lot." He immediately dug into the burger, etiquette and decorum be damned—he was starving!

"Your appetite is as colossal as ever, Nice."

Nice put the half-eaten burger down. "How do you know who I am?" he asked evenly.

"Who hasn't heard of you? You're from that private investigation group, right?"

"That's not what I asked…" Looking up, he saw that she was suddenly replaced with a brunette. This was obviously not the same girl, but Ruby's sudden disappearance was really suspicious. "Oi, where'd that other girl go?"

"You mean Ruby?" the new barkeep clarified. "She just ended her shift. But she did leave this for you." She gave him a note. For some reason it was written in English.

 _Sorry to leave you like that, but knowing you, you'll come back for some answers real soon. In the meantime, enjoy your burger._

 _\- Ruby_

"Thanks for the meal," Nice quickly said before running out of the bar. He needed to find that girl before she was gone. However, as soon as he was outside, he was didn't see too many people out on the streets. And from the way the sky was reddening, it seemed he had spent several hours wandering and brooding and eating, making no progress on finding any clues as to Cap's whereabouts.

With a heavy sigh, Nice went on his way, deciding to come back to the bar on another day.

* * *

As the day began to end, Art found himself growing weary looking over reports and his vision turning blurry. Looking over at the shrinking pile of paperwork, his eyes lit up; he was almost done, but he still had a long way to go. Scribbling down a few notes, he kept his hazy heliotropes on the page, not even looking up when the locked door of his office clicked open.

A can of coffee was placed unceremoniously on top of his paperwork, condensation dripping onto the dry ink. Art glared up at the intruder. "Scarlet." Instead of scolding her, he simply removed the can and continued working, much to her chagrin. "How did you get in here?"

"Gasquet let me in before he went home. He told me to make sure you didn't overdo it like you did last night."

"How was your first day at work?" He changed the subject.

"Great!" She took a seat in front of his desk, patiently crossing her legs. "My boss is nice and the other employees keep to themselves so they're not too concerned about my personal life or anything." She stopped when she saw that Art hadn't been listening to anything she'd said. She pouted irately. She and Gasquet knew Art needed someone to drag him away from his desk and get a decent night's sleep, and she was just the person to do it. Lack of sleep tended to make the superintendent rather manic, restless, and, more often than not, oblivious. But still, if he was going to ask about her day, the least he could do was pay attention!

She tried a different tactic. "But one of the bar patrons touched my butt." He was still scribbling. "And I stole some money from the cash register." Not even a twitch. It was time for some drastic measures. "Oh, and I had a run-in with Nice."

That'd done it. "What were you doing with Nice?"

Scarlet swiveled her chair away from him knowing it would further frustrate him. "Relax. It's not like I went looking for him. He stumbled into the bar by accident."

"I've known Nice long enough to know he doesn't just stumble into strange bars without a reason. He must've known you were there somehow."

"I doubt it. He was so out of it I don't think he knew where he was."

"That is strange…" When Scarlet turned her chair back around she saw his hands folded in front of his mouth as he contemplated.

"What is it?"

"He was acting pretty unusual when I saw him yesterday. And the others haven't seen him all day. They said he had been out looking for a long lost friend. Cap, I think…"

"C-Cap?" Scarlet bit her lip nervously.

Art, despite his fatigue, caught this, and narrowed his gaze at her. "Do you know something about this?"

She turned her chair around again. "I have nothing to say on the matter."

Suddenly regretting egging him on, Scarlet shrank into her chair as she heard him approach and cringed when he turned her around. He placed his hands on both arms of the chair so she couldn't escape. "I won't ask again, Scarlet."

She didn't dare look at him. She was no good at lying to him and she was afraid if she looked him in the eye she'd spill everything. "Even if I did know something," she said quietly, "it's not like I could tell you. You know that."

With a heavy sigh, Art detached himself from the chair and crossed his arm. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I just want you to be safe."

Scarlet also sighed, relieved and slightly guilty for omitting information, even if it wasn't any of his business. He didn't remember Cap, but he did know there was a group of wayward Minimum Holders with a leader and she was part of it. He was so close to connecting the dots, but she still couldn't have him getting involved yet. She had promised she wouldn't. But not knowing only made Art worry more, and she knew she'd feel the same if he was hiding anything from her.

"I'm safe where I am," she reassured him. "But I'm more worried about you at the moment. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I'm almost done." Going back to his paperwork, he looked at the last file and groaned.

"What is it?"

"It's a theft case—Minimum Holder theft. And Three and Honey aren't available to help," he mumbled to himself. "I can't have Nice involved. But it won't be long before the victims go to Hamatora, and then the Minimum Agency will know…"

"What do they have to do with this?" A petty theft didn't seem like something that even the Minimum Agency should've concerned themselves with, but since the robber happened to be a Minimum Holder, it didn't leave much room for surprise. But Scarlet still thought it was rather smothering of them to be involved in all things Minimum-wise, even something as insignificant as a misdemeanor.

"We're still looking for those missing kids," Art murmured once more, running his fingers through his hair lethargically. "And because their parents are government officials—"

"They are of higher priority." Normally this wouldn't bother her because she was aware those kids were much more important than some serial thief, but she used to be one of those kids. She knew what it was like to have important parents who put their reputation over their own child's wellbeing. The Minimum Agency didn't have any intention to return those kids to their parents immediately, but it wasn't like those parents cared. Once they found out what their children were capable of, they wouldn't hesitate to ship them off to Facultas Academy, where they'd be raised to sustain their powers for politic gain and other advantageous things that normal people didn't have access to.

It was a vicious cycle, one she did not want to be a part of again. But despite their loathsome bloodllines, those kids needed to be saved as soon as possible. And God forbid Art needed another reason to become an insomniac. So, going against her better judgement, Scarlet took the file away from the superintendent.

"What are you—?"

"Shut up and rest your eyes for a moment," she ordered as she skimmed through the theft's file. For once, Art did as he was told and rested his head on his desk. He didn't have the energy to fight back.

The thief had no picture. The police didn't know if he really had any abilities, but according to many witnesses, his methods were very otherworldly. No one seemed to remember how he did it. The fascinating thing was he left no trace behind. It was like this larcenist was a ghost. He wasn't cutting the police any slack. No wonder Art was exhausted.

"I'm in."

"I thought you didn't want to be involved in any more cases," Art yawned out.

"I will if it gets you some sleep."

"I can't ask you to do this, Scarlet."

"You don't have to." Setting the folder back on the desk, Scarlet stood to leave. "Let's go."

"But I'm not—"

"We can discuss details tomorrow during my lunchbreak, but as far as I'm concerned, the Minimum Agency can kiss my ass. You're finished for tonight and that's that."

Internally grateful for her interference, Art put away his work and grabbed his coat, allowing Scarlet to shuffle him out of the office before locking the door.

"You don't have to come home with me."

Scarlet bumped his shoulder. "Who else is going to drive your home?"

Art smiled. She was relentless. But he supposed he couldn't complain. _Where would I be without you, Scarlet?_

* * *

 ** _R &R!_**


	8. The Ultimatum

**A/N: I'm tired of apologizing, so I'm just going to say this:**

 **For anyone's who's stuck around, thank you so much for being patient with me and my updates!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Ultimatum**

A few days after their meeting, Beta got a call from Honey, finally giving him an excuse to leave the apartment other than work, and he had never been so relieved to have a break from his dull routine. Being a gadget geek, he was reclusive to a certain degree, even more so whenever he got carried away with his midnight "activities" (mostly hacking through government files and things of that sort. Nothing major). But after the meeting, he didn't feel so secure doing those things now that Break had set restrictions.

He hadn't told anyone about Honey and Three. Their bodyguard business was an international gig, and it would soon get around that there was an adolescent girl working with a lion-esque priest who ran an orphanage. If word got out that the girl and the priest were working with a snazzy-dressed nerd with a fetish for jazz and gadgets, there was no telling what Break would do.

Maybe he should've stopped Yan when he had the chance, or maybe he should've dissuaded Cap from trying to contact Nice. Maybe he shouldn't have given him that stupid phone number in the first place.

 _Should-a, would-a, could-a. You know you would've done it anyway, despite the consequences._

And he knew he was right. Cap wasn't the only one who had been separated from loved ones. Beta had a little sister who depended on him… well, maybe not as much as she depended on Three, but Honey was family and if anyone could sympathize when it came to family it was Cap. Maybe Scarlet, too, but not really.

Speaking of Scarlet, it seemed she had taken Break's words to heart and had gotten a real job instead of continuing her work with the police. He had discovered her covert allegiance with the superintendent one bleak Sunday morning a year ago. Bored out of his mind, the young genius decided to hack into traffic cameras and mess with the unsuspecting citizens of Yokohama. The corner near the police station was where he found the hotheaded ginger sitting in the backseat of the superintendent's car. At first he thought she had gotten herself in trouble, but they wouldn't have been driving away from the police station if that were true. Following their trail, they stopped in front of a convenience store. Once they were all out of the car, Scarlet shook hands with the baby-faced detective and his wizened partner. Needless to say, the telepathic Minimum Holder helped put away many drug-dealing scumbags that day.

The moment she came home, he stupidly congratulated her for putting away those drug-peddling fiends, earning a black eye and a bloody nose as well as a threat if he told anyone about it. After cleaning himself up, he swore to keep her secret. After all, she wasn't the only one who had anything to hide, and far be it from him to be a hypocrite. A smooth-talking wiseacre maybe, but never a hypocrite.

But as impulsive as everyone thought he was being all of a sudden, Break's astringent yet rational rules weren't a coincidence. He had no family to speak of, no friends, not even a measly pet—he had no history whatsoever. The gang was all he had, all he could rely on, so his surreptitious jealousy was not unwarranted. That didn't mean it wasn't unfair, either. Most of them had lives before they were locked away in the labs, and although they'd grown close, Beta wasn't going to just forget about his beloved baby sister. But at the risk of their safety…?

If it ever came down to such an ultimatum, he wasn't sure who he'd pick.

"Hey, what's with that look, handsome?"

Beta lay with his hat on his face to block out the sun's harsh light, his lanky body taking up the entirety of the bench he was occupying. Sitting up, Beta stretched his arms and replaced his hat on his head before resting his hands behind his head and looking up at the stranger. "What's up?" he said nonchalantly.

The girl was tall, her vertical length supported only by her six-inch stilettos (how girls could walk in those things without breaking their ankles he had no idea). Her light brown hair fell over her shoulder like a chocolate deluge. Her dress clung to body like an extra layer of skin, reminding him of a molting boa constrictor with its sheen texture. She was pretty in a way but definitely not his type. He ran into her often, but once again he failed to remember her name.

"I was afraid you were going to get sunburned there. Or melt. It's got to be at least seventy degrees outside. How can you wear that sweater?"

Beta shrugged, not at all affected by the weather. His wardrobe mostly consisted of sweater vests, blazers, and a few dress shirts, long- and short-sleeved. "Didn't really notice."

"You waiting for somebody?"

"Yeah, my little sister."

"Oh, really! You're so sweet waiting for your sister like a good big brother should! Gentlemen like you are so hard to come by these days."

"It's a burden I'm willing to carry," he said humbly.

"I'm sure you could teach a few lessons, preferably to this one guy, always walking around wearing a jumpsuit and shades like he's the shit. He won't stop hitting on my girlfriends and he nearly grabbed my ass the other day."

"Although I do not approve of such deplorable behavior, I can't really say I blame him for hitting on you."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Well, when you go walking around like that, I'd see why it'd be hard to keep my hands off of you." He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh. "But I'm a gentleman, so I would never disrespect a woman in such a way. My mother raised me better than that."

"Seriously, Beta, why are you still single?"

"Can't really say. Not too many women are looking for gentlemen nowadays."

"It's a shame." She looked at her phone. "Well, I gotta go. I guess I'll see you around. Maybe someday I'll set you up with one of my friends."

He waved at her as she left, sighing. Dating and the like were the last things on his mind. Despite what many people assumed, including his meddlesome friend Hiro, Beta was not the dating type. Sure, he was a flirt, but he never acted on it. If anything, he was just humoring those girls, but he treated them with the proper respect he believed all men should.

All of a sudden, the young genius felt someone slap him in the back of the head. "What the hell?!"

"Was that your girlfriend?" asked the assailant.

"You know I don't date, Mu."

"And you know I hate it when you're late, but here you are loitering around hitting on prostitutes instead of meeting me and Three at the airport like you were supposed to! And stop calling me Mu! Now let's go. Three's waiting for us."

"Yeah, okay…" Beta skated off without uttering another word.

Honey was thrown off by her brother's suddenly listless behavior. Whenever they met up, Beta would not hesitate to squeeze the life out of her with one of his infamous bear hugs, sometimes even embarrass her with a kiss on her cheek, and then they'd continue their childish banter for a good five minutes before going straight to business, but he didn't do any of those things. Not only was he late, but he hadn't even made the effort to show up at their rendezvous point. Something was really off about him today. She only hoped it didn't get in the way of his rationale.

"So, who're we meeting?" he asked once she caught up.

"Nobody."

"Huh?"

"Long story short, my luggage got switched with someone else's, and he's somewhere in the vicinity."

"Um… okay?"

"This is serious, Beta!"

"Well it's not like you kept Mighty in your suitca…" The evidently annoyed visage turned red. "Oh my—"

"Save the 'I told you so' for later. We need to find this guy before he finds us."

"Why's that?"

"Because he has friends."

* * *

The first thing they did was go back to Honey's apartment. It was a cushy place, big enough for at least two more people, but seeing as Three resided elsewhere, she had a lot more room than she needed.

"The place hasn't changed," Beta commentated. "Blasé as usual."

"Shut up."

Three was there awaiting them, reading some suggestive manga that even sent chills up Beta's spine. "Nice to see you again, big guy."

Marking his page abruptly, the lion-esque man nodded and approached the young man. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances, Beta."

"I've had better days," he admitted. "But if I have to be honest, this is the highlight of my day. Now, let's see what we're dealing with, shall we?"

Beta took a look at the suitcase, wondering how on Earth Honey had gotten this austere piece of luggage switched with her demurer travel set. As if reading his thoughts, the young brunette glared up at her brother, daring him to voice such judgements knowing his countless past blunders. After a quick inspection, Beta took his attention to the numeric lock pad, fiddling with a few numbers before unlocking the case.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Honey exclaimed before he could open the suitcase. "You can't just—"

"You don't think they haven't looked through your stuff yet?" he suddenly snapped. "What do you think they'll do once they see Mighty? It's worth millions— _much_ more than whatever's in here. And I'd know; I built the damn thing."

Honey immediately withdrew her retort, stunned by her brother's sudden outburst. He never lost his temper before. Then again this was the first time she had ever lost Mighty. She could understand why he'd be upset; he might not have been kidding when he said he had better days.

She opened her mouth again, but it was Three who responded. "If those men are as serious about this case as I believe they are, then leaving it alone may be best."

Heedless of the priest's warning, Beta opened the case, slightly miffed by the contents. Honey leaned over his shoulder to glance at what was inside. "Are those… totems?"

Just as she said, there were four blocky Hawaiian totem poles sitting inside the briefcase. Taking one out, Beta inspected it, knowing these were not just paltry souvenirs. Feeling around the intricate carvings, Beta found a tiny, imperceptible crack, sliding the top open and finding a vial containing some sort of transparent fluid. Four totems. Four vials. One nasty feeling in his gut. And that terrible feeling led him to believe he knew exactly where those drugs were coming from, but he was afraid to assume the worst.

Honey watched intensely as Beta analyzed the mysterious drug meticulously. After an unnecessarily long moment of scrutiny, she lost her patience. " _Well…?_ "

Beta looked up at his sister, blinking owlishly and feigning innocence. "Well… what?"

"What the hell is it?!"

"To be honest… I have no idea. But the only people who put vials of mysterious drugs inside trinkets stuffed into suitcases are bad guys in movies, so we can only assume that these goons are up to no good."

"… How the hell did you get a degree in computer engineering?"

"Top of my class, _summa cum laude_ —but think about it. If they really wanted it back, don't you think asking nicely would be more effective than trying to kill whoever misplaced their luggage?"

"Bad guys _don't_ ask nicely."

" _Exactly_. Now they're risking exposing themselves. If you ask me, this could've all been avoided if _one_ of you just kept your precious cargo in a smaller, equally secure carryon bag."

Honey sighed exasperatedly, partially because she knew despite his nonsensical logic he was still right, and partially because all she wanted was for this confusing and troublesome day to be over so she could take a bath with the new citrusy bubble bath she bought during her trip. "So how are we going to give it back to them and get Mighty back without getting ourselves killed?"

"By gambling."

"… What?"

Beta closed the case and brought it over to the window with him. After briefly glancing outside, he turned back to the bodyguard team. "There's a one in fifty-five chance that those guys are outside your apartment right now, looking for you."

"How do you know that?"

"There are fifty-five residences in this building, including yours. They _could_ just guess which floor and which side of the complex you live on, but they wouldn't know for sure unless they either a) happened to have a Minimum or b) were really good guessers. Not to mention in all the time we've been talking they probably already found a way into the building, so a) or b) we're screwed either way. My wager is a hundred bucks—converted, of course."

Honey and Three looked at each other, neither considering such a possibility. "Okay, so let's assume one of them _is_ a Minimum Holder," she said, humoring him, "Even if you're right—"

"Which I am."

"—you can't just—"

"Look, each second we waste arguing is another second those guys have on us, and without Mighty to help us out we can't afford to drag this out much longer. You guys are supposed to be bodyguards, right?" Honey looked her brother in the eye and for the first time saw a reticent fierceness that she had only seen once in her life. "I trust you guys with my life. Trust me on _this_ … okay?"

"… You sure about this?"

"Have I ever been wrong before?"

"Tokyo."

"That was _one_ time."

With that exemption, Honey couldn't argue with him, even if she wanted to. "Alright. But if this backfires…"

"Hey, what's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

"I hate you."

"And you owe me one-hundred consecutive American dollars, dear little sister."

"Shut up, you two!"

At the moment, Honey and Beta were being held hostage by the same suits that had followed the bodyguard team from the airport. The van in which they were being transported was huge, and thank goodness, Beta thought, considering there were six of them. But unfortunately, the siblings were separated, sitting on either side one of the suits, and facing two more of them in the second row of seats, which Beta also thought was terribly convenient.

But these trivial amenities meant nothing to his irate little sister. Honey knew she shouldn't have gone along with his plan, but despite his scatterbrain, Beta's plans worked 100% of the time, 99% considering the incident in Tokyo, and the success rate was getting lower by the second. The plan was to evade their oncoming pursuers, and Beta thought the best way to execute this plan was to separate. Three went on his own with the case to call Art for some reinforcements, and Beta and Honey went through the back, which was the opposite way of the parking lot where Beta had spotted the suits. The goons must've had the same idea when they came looking for them because they found them as soon as they were outside. What was worse was that she had a feeling Beta meant for that to be intentional.

"So now what?" she seethed.

"Patience, Mu. It's not over yet."

"Didn't we tell you two to shut up?" the suit in front of Beta spat.

"Sorry, we weren't listening," Honey sniffed. "It's impossible to hold a conversation with someone whose intelligence is so far beneath our own."

The man across from her got up from his seat and pulled one of her pigtails. Before he could take his knife out, Beta kicked his hand, sending the instrument to the floor. "Sorry about that," Beta said calmly, "but I'd appreciate it if you tux-toting troglodytes didn't threaten my sister. I don't take kindly to men who disrespect women." Honey nearly winced when she saw the menacing look she'd seen earlier on her brother's face.

The same man who almost pulled a knife on Honey took him by the collar, but this did not deter the young man. "Do you even get what trouble you're in, smart-ass?"

"No, but I suppose the same could be said for you." He averted his gaze to Honey, who was looking at them nervously. "Hey, Honey. Remember what I told you in Tokyo, you know, before everything went to hell?"

"Not really. I was too busy using you as a human shield."

"Well, I said you can count on me to always have my cellphone. And then you said…"

Honey's eyes were reserved for a moment before they widened in understanding, and she ducked onto the floor of the van. All of a sudden, the vehicle shook as it was hit by another car. Before he fell to the floor, Beta was able to catch a small glimpse of the car that slammed against the van. The beastly priest was standing out of the sunroof of a car that, from what he could see, apparently belonged to an elderly woman. Why that adorable little grandma agreed to do this was a mystery to even the boy genius.

"I remember," Honey said to him over the pandemonium. "Even if I didn't have Mighty, I know I'll always have a future I can believe in."

Beta nodded. "Right." Taking the fallen knife, the brunette broke out of his bonds before freeing his sister. "After all, you have an ultimate weapon and an ultimate armor by your side. And I would never make you choose which one you would need the most because you'll always have both. So, what's the donation of a measly cellphone, right?"

"Beta, what are you saying?"

Before he could answer, the top of the vehicle was torn off by the malevolent beast that was Three. He threw the roof away and grabbed Honey, who in turn looked to Beta, and all he did was sit there, giving her a conciliatory smile. "I'm sorry, Honey. But your future's better off with him."

"Beta—!"

"Get her out of here, Three!" The burly priest considered disobeying him for a moment before nodding and jumping back on top of the elderly woman's car. Once they were gone, Beta reassessed the situation.

There was no stopping the van now, seeing as the driver was so astonished by Three's appearance he had fainted at the wheel. As for the other suits, three of the uninjured passengers made for Beta, who quickly jumped to the front. "You don't mind if I take this baby for a spin, do you?" Receiving no response, Beta pushed the guy into the back and took his spot. "Charlie, where's Mighty?"

 _ **Right in the back, with the rest of their luggage.**_

"Can you tell which one's Honey's bag?"

 _ **Negative.**_

"Guess I'm going to have to wing it. Wish me luck. Oh, and sorry about that cheap shot back there, Charlie."

 _ **Apology is unnecessary. Honey's safety is always priority if the situation calls for it.**_

He laughed. "It seems I taught you well, Charlie. Well, here goes nothing." With a sharp turn of the wheel, Beta jammed the breaks, sending the armored vehicle spiraling until it tipped, landing gracelessly in the middle of the road.

* * *

Needless to say, the boy genius got an earful from his inconsolable sister after that little stunt. The police arrived just before the rest of the conscious goons could get away, putting away all the culprits as well as the rest of their stolen goods. Some of the suitcases had totems just like the one Honey and Three accidentally attained, while others contained gun parts. Although both were suspiciously dangerous goods to be toting around (pun completely intended, Beta thinks facetiously), the goods themselves weren't really relevant to each other, which made the brunette wonder which was the ploy and which was the actual profit.

But that was something to contemplate on a later date, Beta was reminded, as his brain was too muddled to even comprehend Honey's acerbic tongue-lashing. Unfortunately, Three was still talking to the police, so there was no one to restrain Honey from emitting her furious wrath upon him.

" _Baka! Baka! Baka!_ "

"OW! No hitting! I'm damaged!"

"Your _brain's_ damaged, that's for sure! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Beta actually thought over the rhetorical question before giving the imbecilic answer, "I wasn't."

"I'll say! I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but if you do anything that reckless ever again, I'll make sure every bruise and broken bone in your body stays that way!"

"I'm sorry." Luckily for Beta, the only part of his body that was critically damaged was his arm, which was currently in a sling. There were a few scrapes on his face and a bruise on his cheek, but he could easily hide that away from the rest of the L.A.B. Rats with some makeup and the shadow of his hat. The arm would be trickier to hide, though.

"I meant it," Honey mumbled. The suddenly timid tone brought Beta out of his reverie and he was even surprised to see a light blush on his sister's face. "If something's wrong, I don't want you hurting yourself, especially for my sake. And I have a feeling that your weird behavior today has something to do with your little group of misfits—and I _know_ you can't tell me about them, but… you know…"

Beta chuckled under his breath, wryly. _But you don't know, Honey. You have no fucking idea._ "I know I made a risky move, but I wasn't going to risk your life if I knew the outcome would be grim. If anything happened to me, I wanted to make sure that your future would be fine without me in it. Three makes sure of that every day, and I can't thank the man enough for what he's done for us. So in the event that I _don't_ make it—"

" _Oi!_ " Beta flinched at the derisive tone. Hell hath no wrath like Honey's scorn. "Nobody's allowed to gamble with my life, least of all _you_! _I_ decide who gets to stay at my side and for how long, got it!? I just got you back; I don't want to lose you over something stupid again! And I know you may not think it, but I need more than just some armor and a weapon. You promised to stay by my side, and I'm not going to let you get away with breaking another promise."

Beta was speechless. Honey was far from poetic and she rarely spoke her feelings anymore, but at times like these, it really brought out the dear little sister he knew a long time ago.

 _Screw Break's ultimatum!_

" _OH MU-CHAN!_ "

"Get off me, baka! You ruined the moment! And don't call me Mu!"

"By the way, you still owe me a hundred bucks."

"Shut up!"

* * *

" _Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"_

 _The young brunette was just about done packing when he heard the sweet little chant that was his beloved sister's voice. The pitter patter of her little feet was music to ears, and he turned just in time to catch her in his arms. "Hey, Mu-chan. What's up?"_

" _Otou-san said you were leaving."_

 _His smile faltered a bit. "Yeah, but only for a few days."_

" _But that's too long!" Honey looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before whispering into his ear, "You promised to say goodbye before me and Three left! Does Otou-san know?"_

" _No, no! He doesn't suspect a thing. But I will be back in time, don't worry. I'll be back so soon you won't even remember I was gone."_

" _Promise?" She held out her pinky._

 _He nodded, linking his finger with her smaller one. A pinky promise was the most serious pledge between the two siblings. Nothing was official unless they made that unbreakable bond. "I promise."_

 _Unfortunately for her, this was one promise he was going to have to break._

* * *

 ** _R &R!_**


End file.
